2023-06-28 18:52:33
“During her trip to South Africa, Annalena Baerbock wanted to heal old wounds and divert the country from its proximity to Russia”analyzes online news site time online.
The Ukrainian file was in any case going to interfere a little more than expected in the agenda of this visit, since the German minister was forced to postpone her arrival for a day, to participate on Monday (26.06) in an emergency summit with its European counterparts following the volte-face of the boss of the Wagner mercenary grouplast weekend.
Arrived Tuesday (27.06) in Pretoria, Annalena Baerbock was first received by Naledi Pandor. The broad smile of the head of South African diplomacy during the greetings did not fail to be noticed, while relations between the two countries are currently complicated.
South Africa, historically very close to the Kremlin, refuses to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and claims to want to remain neutral. The country had hosted naval exercises with Russia and China last February. In mid-May, Pretoria was even accused by the United States of having delivered arms to Russia.
Naledi Pandor greeted Annalena Baerbock with a broad smile Image: Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture-alliance
African mediation mission
Following their meeting, Naledi Pandor also called for the acceptance of divergent positions in terms of foreign policy. “There shouldn’t be a situation where you force the other to follow you”she said, while announcing that the African mediation mission in Ukraine was going to continue.
South Africa is indeed at the head of a delegation composed of leaders and officials from seven African countries, which recently traveled to Ukraine and then to Russia to offer mediation, without much result.
Annalena Baerbock, however, welcomed the continuation of this mediation and welcomed the position of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who clearly affirmed the importance of “the United Nations Charter, the sovereignty of each country and territorial integrity”.
“Being persistent when it comes to diplomacy pays off”, she commented in an interview with German public television ZDF. According to the German Foreign Minister, “South Africa’s voice has already changed” et “When the country of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu stands up once morest injustice, the world listens”.
Germany’s stance on Covid-19 vaccine patents had been heavily criticized Image: Shelley Christians/REUTERS
Meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa
Beyond the war in Ukraine, South Africa represents for Germany the main economic partner country south of the Sahara.
Annalena Baerbock thus insisted on the possibilities of cooperation in the energy transition and the fight once morest climate change.
After her tete-a-tete with Naledi Pandor, she was received by Cyril Ramaphosa, underlining the importance of this visit for Pretoria, but also for Berlin. According to the German Foreign Ministry, their interview lasted 75 minutes instead of the 30 initially planned. The German delegation even canceled the meeting which was to follow.
Because North-South cooperation is another source of tension, which has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. Germany had notably refused to lift patents on vaccines. More broadly, Western countries are accused of having monopolized the stocks of available vaccines.
At the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact in Paris last week, Cyril Ramaphosa indeed felt that African nations “felt like beggars when they needed access to vaccines”.
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#Rebuilding #trust #Berlin #Pretoria
