National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says she hopes that Ukrainian and Russian parliamentarians will agree to engage in peace talks, aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Mapisa-Nqakula has just returned from Bahrain and Russia on parliamentary assignment.
Speaking to SABC News, she says South Africa would welcome the opportunity to host the peace talks.
“Very soon you will hear once the decision has been taken by the task force. We will then inform the nation because I believe that in this kind of situation – with other people trying to worsen the situation and beating the war drums – I think it will be a great opportunity for South Africa to say we welcome the opportunity those engagements.”
Mapisa-Nqakula on her working trip in Russia:
Meanwhile, parliament says it intends to ask International Relations Minister Naledi Pando and her department to brief it on how government plans to handle Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forthcoming trip to South Africa.
Putin has been invited to attend the BRICS summit in August this year.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant of arrest for Putin who is accused of being responsible for deporting hundreds of Ukrainian children to Russia.
This is a challenge for South Africa, which is a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC.
Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, Supra Mahumapelo, says, “We are going to be writing to the minister that as soon as next week we sit and discuss this matter just to understand from their point of view as the executive how are they going to approach this matter because we are doing oversight on them.”
SABC News Reporter Khayelihle Khumalo elaborates in the report below:
The Brics summit will take place in August in South Africa.
