Through a Mutual Agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the 2023 BRICS Summit which will be hosted in South Africa, at the Sandton Convention Centre (SCC) in Johannesburg Gauteng from 22-24 August 2023.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that South Africa is ready to host the 15th BRICS Summit, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. However, according to a press release statement by The Presidency Republic of South Africa, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the 2023 BRICS Summit. He will however, be represented by Foreign Minister Mr Sergey Lavrov.
“The Summit will be attended by the leaders of Brazil, India, China, and South Africa.”, states The Presidency Republic of South Africa in a press statement.
Putin’s mutual agreement to be absent from the 2023 BRICS Summit might be due to a warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). That particular warrant of arrest made Putin to be subject to arrest as soon as he sets foot in South Africa.
This whole situation placed South Africa in a conflicted position in terms of foreign policy stance. For quite some time, South Africa has been caught up in a predicament as to whether it should abide by the ICC’s warrant of arrest for Putin, or prove its loyalty to the Russian Federation as a BRICS member, by choosing to ignore the ICC’s warrant of arrest issued against Putin.
South Africa can now breath a sigh of relief, as Putin will not be attending the Summit.
Through this summit, BRICS Leaders will engage with business during the BRICS Business Forum and engage with the New Development Bank, BRICS Business Council and other mechanisms during the Summit.
“President Ramaphosa is confident that the summit will be a success and calls on the nation to extend the necessary hospitality to the many delegates who will arrive from various parts of the continent and the globe.”, says The Presidency Republic of South Africa.
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Written by: Prince Neo Mokwena
Images: CNN/Polity
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