Cape Town – Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reportedly revealed that the government is making efforts to dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from attending the upcoming Brics summit.
South Africa, as a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, would be obligated to arrest Putin due to an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
However, this is a difficult situation for the government as they are the ones who invited Putin.
According to News24, Mashatile said that the best solution would be for Putin not to attend, but the Russians are not pleased with this proposition.
“It’s a big dilemma for us. Of course, we cannot arrest him. It’s almost like you invite your friend to your house, and then arrest them. That’s why for us, his not coming is the best solution.
“The Russians are not happy, though. They want him to come,” the report quoted Mashatile as saying.
President Cyril Ramaphosa tasked Mashatile to lead a task team to address the legal implications of Putin’s visit, considering the recent warrant of arrest issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged complicity in war crimes during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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Three options have since been proposed, none of which have received unanimous approval from all Brics partners.
These options included moving the summit to China, Putin not attending but sending his foreign minister in his place, or holding a virtual summit, the report said.
The final decision lies with Ramaphosa, who will discuss the matter with Putin during a visit to Russia at the end of July.
“So, we are in a situation where the summit will probably be here, and the Russians want Putin to come. So, we’ve now decided to leave this matter with the president who is talking to Putin. The president is going to the Russia-Africa summit later this month, so they will continue to talk. We want to show him the challenges that we face because we are part of the Rome Statute and we can’t wiggle out of this,” Mashatile said.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa confirmed on Thursday that the event will be held in person despite speculation about Putin’s attendance.
“There were rumours that this too could become an online summit – no. It is going to be face to face, eyeball to eyeball.
“Expect a number of heads of State. But importantly, the five BRICS heads of State will attend the forum,” EWN quoted Ramaphosa as saying while addressing business leaders and ambassadors gathered at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday.
The report said that at least 22 heads of State already confirmed their attendance at the summit, scheduled to take place in Johannesburg.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
