APA-Pretoria (South Africa) President Cyril Ramaphosa has said South Africa’s decision not to align itself with any of the global powers did not mean the country was neutral on matters of principle and national interest but rather was seeking “strategic partnerships” with them.
The president said this Sunday night when he addressed the nation before hosting Chinese President Xi jinping on Tuesday who kicks off his state visit to the country ahead of the BRICS summit later this week in Johannesburg.
“Our non-aligned position exists alongside our active support for the struggles of the oppressed and the marginalised people in different parts of the world,” Ramaphosa said.
He added: “We have always believed that the freedom we won — and the international solidarity from which we benefited — imposes a duty on us to support the struggles of those who continue to experience colonialism and racial oppression.”
The non-aligned policy was therefore the reason why his country continued to support the struggles of the people of Palestine and elsewhere in the world in similar circumstances, he said.
During the Cold War, he recalled, the stability and sovereignty of many African countries were undermined because of their alignment with the major powers.
“This experience has convinced us of the need to seek strategic partnerships with other countries rather than be dominated by any other country,” Ramaphosa said.
This was the reason that South Africa was a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, a forum of 120 countries, that were not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc, he said.
On South Africa’s “strategic relationship with China,” he said Pretoria and Beijing would be signing several agreements during Xi’s state visit.
NM/jn/APA