APA-Pretoria (South Africa) President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday said that South Africa’s stance of adopting a non-alignment policy did “not favour Russia above other countries, nor do we accept that it should imperil our relations” with them.
Ramaphosa was addressing the nation in his weekly newsletter in the wake of US ambassador Reuben Brigety’s allegations that a Russian ship was seen uploading ammunitions and guns at a naval port in South Africa last December.
Ramaphosa said in his meetings with US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently he reiterated this position of non-alignment – and called for a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukrainian conflict that erupted in February 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour in what it called “special military operation.”
“In all our interactions with these countries, we restate our belief that the United Nations remains the only viable mechanism through which the global community can strive for peace and common development,” Ramaphosa said.
He added: “Yet the conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the weaknesses in the structure and practices of the United Nations.”
The president said the composition of the UN Security Council did not reflect the realities of the current global landscape.
The 15-member council needed to be overhauled so that there was equitable representation and a more inclusive mechanism for resolving international disputes, he said.
“South Africa is a sovereign state, governed by a democratic Constitution and committed to the consistent application of international law,” Ramaphosa said.
The country would, therefore, continue to fulfil its obligations in terms of the various international agreements and treaties to which it is a signatory, he said.
NM/jn/APA