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Lavrov Visit and Upcoming Joint Naval Exercises With China Spark Anger in South Africa

by Cobus van Staden
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor speak at a joint press conference in Pretoria on January 23, 2023. PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP

The South African government is coming under intense criticism for welcoming Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and for next month’s joint naval exercises with both Russia and China.

SA Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor dismissed the criticism on Monday at a press conference with Lavrov when she said such exercises with “friends” are part of the “natural course of relations.”

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