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The African National Congress (ANC) subcommittee chair for International Relations, Nomvula Mokonyane, says they hope the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania will prioritise cessation of hostilities in conflicts.
This, as NATO members are set to gather to deliberate on several key matters, including the expansion of the Western military alliance.
Ukraine, which has been engaged in a war with Russia for over a year, has been campaigning among the NATO members seeking to be admitted.
The country’s governing party, the ANC, has pushed for a peaceful settlement of conflicts around the world and in Africa.
Mokonyane says the NATO members should ensure that they don’t worsen the situation as the Russia-Ukraine conflict rages on.
“We hope that those deliberations will appreciate the cessation of hostilities in the the world. That is very key and that dominance of military interventions in any area of conflicts does not bring peace; instead it harms women and children. It destroys the future of the country. In this process, I hope they will reflect on the expansion of NATO, but also respect institution of multilateralism,” says Mokonyane.
ANC’s meeting with BRICS member countries ahead summit: Nomvula Mokonyane
In August, South Africa will host the BRICS Summit and the thorny issue has to be the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
Mokonyane says global bodies must not be abused.
“Because we domesticated the Rome statute. South Africa will remain within the ICC, but that doesn’t mean we must remain quiet when it gets abused. We must make sure that there are consultations and affected parties must be listened to, and that’s exactly where we come from and remain concerned,” Mokonyane added.
Meanwhile, one of the pertinent issues that will also dominate BRICS discussions is the de-dollarisation of global economy.
Mokonyane has also weighed in on the matter.
“Making sure that we do away with the issue of dominance of one against another, we must diversify the trading currencies in the globe and give the world options and choices. I think Russia has said it’s going to be a subject of discussion in August and we will put recommendations out of political parties forum,” Mokonyane explains.
The ANC subcommittee on International Relations will have several events leading up to the BRICS summit next month.
