Ambassador of Russia to South Africa Ilya Rogachev’s interview with BRICS Africa Channel (14 December 2023).
Key points:
🔹 We should remember the years of the anti-apartheid struggle in the south of the African continent and the role that Soviet people and Soviet state played in that. This is a very good basis for developing our relations.
🔹 There is a discrepancy between very well developed political relations and the economic sphere. We need to fill this gap.
🔹 We should look at sanctions as a window of opportunities. A lot of Russian businesses who previously have been dealing mostly with Western partners, and were westwardly oriented in general, now these businesses have to look elsewhere.
🔹 Russia, as our President and Foreign Minister and other leaders repeated on many occasions, is ready to discuss all aspects, and we never refused to participate in any talks about peace in Ukraine. The problem was on the other side. In Sept 2022, President Zelensky issued a decree prohibiting Ukrainian officials to negotiate with Russian officials.
🔹 Next year BRICS will start operating in expanded format – the achievement of South African presidency. We will try to make the transition as smooth as possible. In particular, we will try not to let the number of events drop. There will be about 200 of them.
🔹 BRICS Sports Games will take place in June in Kazan. We expect a lot from this event, because many other sports events unfortunately have become so politicized that not all countries can participate.
I think Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who started the Olympic movement, now is turning and tossing in his grave, witnessing the decisions the IOC is taking right now.
