Cape Town – International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor is set to meet her US counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Friday afternoon.
This comes after US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, accused South Africa of having covertly provided arms to Russia, a charge that drew an angry rebuke from Pretoria.
Brigety told a media briefing on Thursday that the US believed weapons and ammunition had been laden onto a Russian freighter that docked at a Cape Town naval base in December.
“We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel and I would bet my life on the accuracy of that assertion,” Brigety said, according to a video of the remarks.
“The arming of Russia by South Africa… is fundamentally unacceptable.”
Department spokesperson Clayson Monyela said South Africa valued its relations with Americans.
“Dirco will today démarche the US ambassador to South Africa following his remarks yesterday. We’ll issue a detailed statement after the meeting. Minister Pandor will speak to her US counterpart Antony Blinken this afternoon,” Monyela wrote in a tweet.
#SouthAfrica?? values the relations we have with the United States of America. They’re cordial, strong, and mutually beneficial.
1. DIRCO will today demarche the USA Ambassador to South Africa following his remarks yesterday. We’ll issue a detailed statement after the meeting.…— Clayson Monyela (@ClaysonMonyela) May 12, 2023
Monyela said the National Conventional Arms Control Committee had no record of an approved arms sale by the country to Russia related to the period or incident in question.
“We therefore welcome the inquiry established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish the facts and role players. If any crimes were committed, the law will take its course,” he said.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, South Africa slammed the US ambassador’s charge, with the Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya saying: “The ambassador’s remarks undermine the spirit of cooperation and partnership” between the two countries,
Magwenya said in a statement, that it was “disappointing” that the envoy had “adopted a counter-productive public posture”.
“While no evidence has been provided to date to support these allegations, the government has undertaken to institute an independent enquiry to be led by a retired judge.”
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@Dirco_ZA
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