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S. Africa Cozies Lavrov

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FILE: South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor speaks to members of the media in Pretoria, South Africa, Aug. 8, 2022. Russia and China will conduct naval drills in the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa in February 2023.
FILE: South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor speaks to members of the media in Pretoria, South Africa, Aug. 8, 2022. Russia and China will conduct naval drills in the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa in February 2023.

UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL PANDOR COMMENTS: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was welcomed by his South African counterpart for talks in Pretoria on Monday, in a visit that has sparked criticism against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.

South African foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told a press briefing ahead of the meeting the talks would help "strengthen the already good relations" between the two countries.

Sitting alongside Lavrov she described Russia as a "valued partner."

A continental powerhouse, South Africa has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and resisted taking sides over the war.

South Africa is one of Russia's most important allies on a continent divided over the invasion and Western attempts to isolate Moscow because of its military actions.

The conflict has triggered sweeping Western sanctions against Moscow and attempts leave it diplomatically isolated.

South Africa recently assumed the chairmanship of the BRICS, a grouping that also includes Brazil, Russia, India and China to challenge the dominant US- and European-led global governance structures.

Last week, it announced it will host 10-day joint maritime drills with Russia and China off the port city of Durban and Richards Bay in February.

South Africa's foreign minister on Monday deflected criticism of joint military drills planned with Russia and China, saying that hosting such exercises with "friends" was the "natural course of relations".

But the links with Moscow has triggered criticism in the country, with some accusing the government of having abandoned it neutral stance.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the South African government is openly siding with Russia," said Darren Bergman, a lawmaker with the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party.

Last week, the foundation of late South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, called the planned naval exercises "disgraceful" and "tantamount to a declaration that South Africa is joining the war against Ukraine."

This report was prepared with data sourced from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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