Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s meeting with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa Naledi Pandor on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers meeting, February 22.

The ministers discussed key aspects of the Russian-South African strategic partnership with a substantive and motivated approach. The discussion included important bilateral trade and economic projects.

Discussing interaction on current international and regional issues, the ministers emphasised the desire of the two countries to deepen their coordination in BRICS, the G20 and other multilateral venues.

Given a common understanding of the root causes and reasons for the crisis in Ukraine, the ministers discussed future opportunities for a contribution by South Africa and a number of other members of the African Union in the search for a peaceful settlement to the conflict.

In the context of the continuing escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Mr Lavrov praised the efforts of South African diplomacy to achieve a settlement in the Palestinian territories.