Senior members of South Africa’s ruling ANC party in Russia ahead of BRICS summit in Pretoria

Several members of the top commandment of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party, ANC, have traveled to Russia at the invitation of Russia’s ruling United Russia Party, ahead of August 15th BRIC summit, scheduled in Pretoria, Africa News reports.

The ANC issued a statement last Saturday indicating discussions will focus on “the recalibration of the global order to reverse the consequences of neo-colonialism […]”.

The South African ruling party considers United Russia Party as an ally.

South Africa, member of the BRICS which is composed of Russia, China, Brazil and India, has officially adopted a neutral stance in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Hosting the summit has been thorny issue for South Africa as Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin is expected to grace the gathering with his presence though under an arrest warrant issued against him in March by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

The South African government has requested a legal opinion on how to address the arrest warrant, Africa News reports.