South Africa Defies Foreign Pressure to Break Off Ties With Russia

South Africa will not sever ties with Russia to please third countries and hopes to remain friends with Russia for many years to come, its international relations minister said on Thursday.

“There are some who wish for us not to have relations with Russia and we made it clear that Russia is a friend [we hope to have] for many years. We cannot become enemies with many countries around the world at the demand of others,” Naledi Pandor said.

Pandor spoke at a South Africa-Russia trade and economy panel. She said these matters were important and even strategic for the two nations as they navigated a “challenging geopolitical terrain” of sanctions and economic aftermath of the pandemic.

The minister said that South Africa was reaching out to international partners around the globe “with a view of building possible cooperation for mutual benefit.” She said her country, which assumed the rotating BRICS presidency in January, was looking forward to working with Russia within BRICS.