Africa-Press – South-Africa. South Africa’s ambassador to the BRICS group of nations, Anil Sooklal, told a gathering of the bloc countries on Monday that the world was facing several situations simultaneously – but not once was Russia’s war in Ukraine mentioned.
Sooklal opened the 9th session of the meeting of BRICS deputy ministers and special envoys responsible for the Middle East and North Africa in Cape Town.
Speaking to representatives of the group, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Sooklal said the meeting came at a critical moment in human history.
“It has been said that not since the Cold War has the world been in such crisis. [There are] a number of situations that we are confronting simultaneously, not just major power conflicts but also the issues around climate change, biodiversity loss anti-globalisation and the impact of so-called new technologies, the fourth industrial revolution,” he said.
He spoke about the conflict in Sudan, as well as climate change and the impact of the fourth industrial revolution, and his fellow ambassadors echoed his sentiments.
“We are extremely concerned about the developments in Sudan. We need to look at what we can do to see the cessation of hostilities between the warring parties. A return to peace and negotiations is what we want to see,” he said.
But there wasn’t a single mention of Russia’s war in Ukraine from any of the other ambassadors who were present.
The South African government maintains that diplomacy and dialogue is the only path to resolving the bloody war between Russia and Ukraine.
A year after Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, South Africa has not shifted its position on the invasion and has maintained a neutral stance.
In October, South Africa was one of 35 countries that abstained from a vote condemning Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territories.
Among the despair globally, Sooklal said there was some sunshine after a diplomatic deal was brokered between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
China was a central figure in restoring diplomatic relations between the superpowers in the Middle East.
“The issue we also put on the table is that for any semblance of peace to take root in the Middle East, first and foremost, we need Saudi Arabia and Iran to come together as the leading powers of the region.
“The groundwork that was undertaken manifested itself through China’s intervention in the brokering of a deal to begin the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. We want to extend our gratitude to the Chinese leadership and it makes us proud that a fellow Brics country is manifesting what Brics stands for,” he said.
Sooklal also said the BRICS nations stood for an inclusive world and for addressing peace and security through dialogue and in engaging with “all our global partners in the global South and North”.
Countries with differences should be left to figure out solutions to their problems.
“As South Africa, we have always maintained that the countries of the region should be left to resolve their differences. We have always spoken out against outside interference because we have seen that outside interference has been the precursor to fractious relations in that region. We have seen the appetite of countries in that region to chart a path of peace and development.”
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