Russia, South Africa have great cooperation opportunities and need to use them — analyst

Relations between Russia and South Africa are historically friendly and have enormous potential, said Steven Gruzd, head of the Africa Governance and Diplomacy Program at the South African Institute of International Affairs.

He spoke at the Third Russian-African Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club in South Africa. The institute is a partner of the Valdai Club.

"The potential for relations between Russia and South Africa is enormous," he said. "They are friendly in nature and have existed for many decades. However, if we look at the volume of mutual trade, it is still insignificant, although there is every opportunity for it to expand on both sides."

According to the researcher, South Africa and Russia are currently being affected by events taking place around the world.

"We must also remember that the international situation is changing. The war in the Middle East, the conflict in Ukraine, and Donald Trump's return to the White House have shaken the foundations of the international relations system," he said. "In such a situation, we are discussing the actions of our countries in the interests of their peoples in a dangerous and unpredictable world."

Gruzd said the conference featured an interesting and open exchange of views on relations between African countries, primarily South Africa and Russia.

"Cooperation between South Africa and Russia in BRICS and the Group of 20 was discussed. The specifics of Russia's relations with 55 African countries, which have both similar and different characteristics, were also discussed," he said.

The Valdai Club's conference on Africa was held in Pretoria for the first time. Its main theme was "Realpolitik in a Divided World: Rethinking Relations between Russia and South Africa in the Global and African Context." The first Valdai Club conference dedicated to Africa was held in 2023 in St. Petersburg on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit. The second was held last year in Tanzania.