South Africa: BRICS Diplomat Sooklal Rejects Notion of Moving Summit Away From SA to Legally Accommodate Putin

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Flags of Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa - member countries of Brics (file photo).
1 June 2023
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Queenin Masuabi and Peter Fabricius

Sooklal was speaking on Thursday at the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Cape Town, which is preparing for the summit in Gauteng in August.

South Africa's senior BRICS diplomat has dismissed suggestions that the BRICS summit scheduled to take place in South Africa in August, might be moved to a different country so that Russian president Vladimir Putin could legally attend.

Anil Sooklal, SA's ambassador at large on Asia and BRICS, said in reply to a question on this that "we have constantly stated that we have fixed the date for the summit as 22-24 August at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg and we are busy with preparations for the summit. That is our responsibility as the current chair of BRICS."

Sooklal was speaking in Cape Town at the BRICS foreign ministers meeting, which is preparing for the summit. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and counterparts from Brazil, China and India are participating in the meeting chaired by SA international relations minister Naledi Pandor.

A small group of Ukrainian supporters carrying Ukrainian flats and brandishing placards condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine mounted a demonstration on the road outside the 12 Apostles Hotel in Cape Town where the foreign ministers are meeting.

The issue of Putin's attendance at the summit has become critical and controversial.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant...

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