Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, says the Africa Peace Mission to Ukraine and Russia is part of a process that will assist to usher in peace in the Ukraine-Russia war.
The Minister was speaking on the sidelines of the Joint Working Visit by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, African Heads of State from Senegal, the Comoros, Zambia and South Africa, together with the Prime Minister of Egypt and envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda visited and held talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader President Vladimir Putin in Kyiv and St Petersburg.
“We’ve been very clear that this is a process. It’s not just an event or a once-off matter. So in the end, it will be a culmination of processes and of parties. We’ve called for a larger involvement. We’ve said that it cannot just be Africa and we want to see, for example, the United Nations, through the Secretary General playing a very important role, as well as other leaders including those who support one or other of the countries that are at war at present.
“We see this as a very broad process which will involve a multifaceted set of strategies and interventions,” she said.
Regarding the delays experienced by members of the Presidential Protection Service (PPS) and media personnel at Poland’s Chopin Airport last Thursday, Pandor said from DIRCO’s perspective, all arrangements had been made but the PPS does not fall under the ambit of that department.
“It is important to indicate from our side that DIRCO does not make the arrangements with respect to the President’s security. This is left to the Presidential Protection Unit and the responsible party would be the Minister of Police [General Bheki Cele].
“From the perspective of DIRCO, through the usual diplomatic processes, we made arrangements for meetings in Ukraine, all the protocol arrangements, all the necessary communications and the fact that our meetings proceeded well means that our ambassador in Russia and Ukraine, did their side,” she said.
Pandor said en route to Russia and Ukraine, South Africa held meetings with the Polish government.
“We held a meeting with the leadership of Poland and it went exceptionally well. To the degree that President [Ramaphosa] has indicated the willingness to undertake an official visit to Poland.
“So at the level of the President and DIRCO, everything went well,” Pandor said.
Source: South African Government News Agency