Ukraine Ticker. London: Russia is in a dilemma after partisan attacks +++ Two waves of attacks on Kiev

2023-06-02 08:00:00

Despite one international arrest warrant Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to a summit of emerging economies in South Africa. All five heads of state of the Brics members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have received invitations to a planned summit in Johannesburg on August 22-24, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said at a Brics foreign ministers meeting in Cape Town on Thursday .

This year’s summit meeting is particularly politically explosive. In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued one Arrest warrant against Putin. The criminal court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, has accused Putin of war crimes for kidnapping thousands of Ukrainian children in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegations.

South Africa, which signed the ICC’s statutes, would be obliged to arrest the Russian President upon entry into South Africa. So far, South Africa has not made a clear statement about the procedure should Putin actually arrive.

At a news conference Thursday night, ministers dodged questions about Putin’s possible attendance at the Brics summit in Johannesburg. “The South African government is currently examining the various legal options,” said Pandor. “The obligations are clear.” President Cyril Ramaphosa will announce South Africa’s final position, Pandor said. South Africa had already come under criticism in 2015 when the country refused to arrest then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and extradite him to the ICC.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West must back down on its quest for supremacy, its sanctions and financial blackmail. The governments of Asia, Africa and Latin America strengthened their economic positions and sovereignly pursued their national interests in order to “play an equal role in global processes”, according to Lavrov. This will create a more just world order.

During the preparatory talks for the summit, the foreign ministers of the up-and-coming emerging countries discussed better cooperation among themselves and with the 20 most important economic nations (G20). Also high on the list was whether to allow countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and 17 others that had applied to join the Brics. «We are discussing the question of the institutional development of the Brics group. We think it’s important that we don’t exclude anyone from the outset,” Pandor said. Ministers from other countries such as Argentina, Bangladesh and Iran have therefore been invited to talks on Friday.

An answer to the possible expansion of the Brics group will only be given at the summit in August, it said. The ministers also want to discuss issues such as poverty and global inequality. However, decisions are only made during the summit meeting.