Russia's Sergey Lavrov lambasts US envoy to South Africa over allegations of arming Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slammed the US government for “interfering” in the internal affairs of South Africa. During his tour to Africa, the Russian diplomat urged Washington to “mind its own business”. The Russian diplomat is visiting the region to boost ties between Moscow and the continent of Africa, CNN reported. Last month, the US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety revealed that he is confident that the South African government has “unloaded weapons and ammunition” onto a Russian cargo vessel last year. The revelation became controversial since Russia is currently embroiled in a war against Ukraine. 

During a press conference in Mozambique on Wednesday, Lavrov asked the US envoy to South Africa to mind his business. “Just like the Russian Federation, the Republic of South Africa is a sovereign state. We are building relations with it in full compliance with international legal norms and principles. Should either party have any questions concerning any area of our cooperation, we address these issues on a bilateral basis,” Lavrov stated during the press briefing. “If the American or any other overseas ambassador thought he or she saw something, they should mind their own business and not get involved in other people's affairs,” he added. 

The Russian foreign minister made it clear that Moscow has never “violated international rules” and accused the Western nations of conducting such violations. “Regarding weapons supplies – which, I understand, got your attention – I am here to reiterate that we never violate international rules, whereas our Western colleagues do violate them. Having declared neutrality with regard to the events in Ukraine, they keep flooding that country with enormous supplies of modern long-range weapons, which are not safe, including for those who use them,” he asserted. “The West is giving weapons to a regime whose official representatives publicly threaten to kill all Russians. The US ambassadors would be better off thinking about their own image in the eyes of the international public,” Lavrov concluded. 

The growing ties between South Africa and Russia 

The West started being sceptic about the growing ties between the two nations after the South African government announced diplomatic immunity to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the BRICS summit. With this, the African nation defied the obligation to the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant against the Russian president earlier this year. In the midst of all the chaos, the US envoy to South Africa accused the government of delivering arms and ammunition to a sanctioned Russian cargo vessel last year. 

“Among the things, we noted was the docking of the cargo ship in Simon’s Town naval base between the 6th to the 8th of December 2022, which we are confident uploaded weapons and ammunition onto that vessel in Simon’s Town as it made its way back to Russia,” Brigety told South African news outlet News24.com. “We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel, and I would bet my life on the accuracy of that assertion,” the ambassador further added. The American ambassador called the arming of Russia “extremely serious” and urged the nation to practice “non-alignment”. In response to this, South Africa summoned the US ambassador over the issue. The country’s foreign ministry also stated that Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor would also speak to US counterpart Antony Blinken over the issue.