Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor held a phone conversation on Tuesday, August 30.
According to a press release published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Naledi discussed the most pressing issues of the international agenda as well bilateral matters. The two ministers talked about the Ukraine crisis, with Lavrov emphasizing Pretoria's "responsible" position as it has opposed attempts by the West to lure African countries into confrontation with Russia. Since the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, South Africa demonstrated a neutral stance on the issue, unwilling to blindly follow Washington's demands concerning anti-Russia sanctions.
During the conversation, Lavrov and Pandor also exchanged views on bilateral cooperation between Moscow and Pretoria in the fields of trade and economy, and also as part of the BRICS and the Group of Twenty formats.