APA-Johannesburg (South Africa) The African Peace Mission to Ukraine and Russia was a great move on the part of African diplomacy to seek a peaceful end to the 16-month conflict between the two neighbours, according to a top South African business leader on Tuesday.
A four-member African leaders’ delegation led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the weekend concluded a two-day mission during which they sought to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine in the aftermath of the former’s invasion of her neighbour last year.
South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mtho Xulu said the war was hurting African economies in the form of skyrocketing prices of oil, fertilizers and grains.
He slammed critics of the just-ended African Peace Mission, saying African leaders could no longer wait for the developed nations to plead for Africa’s case in world politics.
“To say a mission like this is wasteful is not to understand how diplomacy works and how to become part of the global community,” Xulu said.
He said South Africa has spent a lot of money over the years building multilateralism on the continent and globally, and additional fees to make sure the work of the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation and its international footprint of embassies were working smoothly.
He disclosed that business leaders had been in conversation with the diplomats from Ukraine and Russia regarding the opening of trade routes.
The direct impact of blocked routes has been on grain and fertiliser which has a knock-on effect because food shortages affected every citizen on the continent, he added.
NM/jn/APA