Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor, on Monday for bilateral talks to exchange views on regional and multilateral issues.
Pandor met with Lavrov
Both ministers made comments to the media before starting their private conversation, but the meeting was criticized for being insensitive and in bad taste.
Pandor and Lavrov are expected to hold a press conference on Monday.
WATCH: Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in SA
Lavrov’s visit to the country raised more questions than answers among South Africans, and many wanted to know how Minister Pandor (or South Africa) benefited from the discussions.
It is expected that Russia may ask for mining rights or a UN vote.
Trade between SA and Russia
South Africa has been a trading partner with Russia for many years, with Russian exports to South Africa totaling $506m, according to data from the Economic Complexity Observatory.[1] published in 2020.
Of the $506 million in exports from Russia, copper exports accounted for $169 million.
Meanwhile, South Africa exported goods worth R587 million to Russia, of which $135 million was manganese ore exports.
War crimes in Africa
Some South Africans also want to know whether Pandor will address allegations of crimes against humanity committed by Russian mercenaries in Africa.
According to a report by Human Rights Watch in May 2022, Russian forces in the Central African Republic “appear to have executed, tortured and beaten civilians since 2019”.
At the time, HRW asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the allegations with a view to prosecuting those involved.
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Wagner Group is under investigation
Russia’s military security contractor, the Wagner Group, has been linked to operations in the Central African Republic – an incident the UN said in April it would investigate.
UN experts[2] called on local authorities and governments “to fulfill their obligations under international law to hold accountable all perpetrators of serious violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law committed on their territory”.
This will include “unimpeded access to justice and reparations for all victims of violations, including abuses committed by Russian military and private security personnel”.
The incident occurred in Kouki, Nana-Bakassa, Bossangoa, Bambiri and Alindao.
Russia-Africa summit
Meanwhile, Lavrov’s visit to South Africa comes ahead of the Russia-Africa summit in July 2023. The summit has been postponed until 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The South African military will hold joint military exercises with Russia and China from February 17. This is likely to damage relations between South Africa and European countries.
Additional sources:
- Observatory of Economic Complexity
- Wagner Group, OHCHR statement