South Africa defends planned military drills with Russia and China - Reuters

PRETORIA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's overseas curate connected Monday deflected disapproval of associated subject drills planned with Russia and China, saying that hosting specified exercises with "friends" was the "natural people of relations."

Naledi Pandor made her comments during a gathering with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was visiting South Africa 11 months aft Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

South Africa is 1 of Russia's astir important allies connected a continent divided implicit the penetration and Western attempts to isolate Moscow due to the fact that of its subject actions.

Some absorption parties and South Africa's tiny Ukrainian assemblage person said that hosting Lavrov is insensitive.

South Africa says it is impartial connected the Ukraine struggle and has abstained from voting connected U.N. resolutions connected the war.

It has adjacent ties with Moscow, a person of the governing African National Congress erstwhile it was a liberation question opposing achromatic number rule, and volition big a associated workout with Russia and China connected its eastbound seashore from Feb. 17-27.

"All countries behaviour subject exercises with friends worldwide. It’s the earthy people of relations," Pandor, alongside Lavrov, told reporters successful the capital, Pretoria.

The workout volition beryllium nether mode connected Feb. 24, the archetypal day of what Russia calls its "special subject operation". Ukraine and its allies accidental Russia has launched an imperial onshore grab.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's government has expressed a tendency to mediate successful the Ukraine struggle arsenic a neutral party.

"As South Africa, we consistently articulate that we volition ever basal acceptable to enactment the peaceful solution of conflicts connected the (African) continent and passim the globe," Pandor said successful earlier remarks.

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South Africa has small commercialized with Russia but champions a satellite presumption - favoured by China and Russia - that seeks to undo perceived U.S.-hegemony successful favour of a "multipolar" satellite successful which geopolitical powerfulness is much diffuse.

Lavrov said the subject drills were transparent and that Russia, China and South Africa had provided each applicable information.

Pandor has said South Africa volition not beryllium dragged into taking sides, and has criticised the West for condemning Russia portion ignoring issues specified arsenic Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.

The South African equipped forces said past week the workout was a "means to fortify the already flourishing relations betwixt South Africa, Russia and China".

Russia's TASS quality bureau reported connected Monday that a Russian warship equipped with caller procreation hypersonic cruise weapons would instrumentality portion successful the drills.

Lavrov was visiting six months up of a Russia-Africa acme successful July. There was nary authoritative nationalist remark from the Ukrainian embassy but officials said it had asked the South African authorities to assistance propulsion a Ukrainian bid plan.

Reporting by Carien Du Plessis, Anait Miridzhanian, Alexander Winning and Estelle Shirbon, Writing by Tim Cocks, Editing by Timothy Heritage

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