By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor, says South Africa will not break ties with Russia at the behest of other countries.
Pandor was speaking at the opening of the South Africa-Russia Joint Inter-Governmental Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation with Russian National Resources and Environment Minister Alexander Kozlov in Pretoria on Thursday.
“There are some who don’t wish us to have relations with an old historical friend. We have made it clear that Russia is a friend, and we have had cooperative partnerships for many, many years,” Pandor said. She cited Russia’s support in the anti-apartheid struggle.
“While we are friends with many all over the world, we cannot become sudden enemies on the demand of others,” Pandor said.
Pretoria has doubled down on its relations with Moscow amid growing calls to isolate Russia following its deadly invasion of Ukraine.
The government’s position has drawn criticism from some of its largest trading partners, including the US and the European Union, along with some of its biggest banks and investment companies.
It is taking legal advice on how to handle an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin in the event the Russian leader attends a BRICS summit in South Africa in August.
The ICC issued the warrant against Putin on March 18 for war crimes related to the alleged abduction of children from Ukraine. South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the court, and may be obliged to execute the arrest order.
South Africa drew international criticism in 2015, when it refused to execute an ICC arrest warrant for then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir while he was attending an African Union summit in the country. Former South African President Jacob Zuma proposed withdrawing from the ICC in 2016, though that plan was later abandoned.