South Africa and Germany have reaffirmed their commitment to international law and multilateralism.
This featured prominently during discussions between Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola and Germany's Federal Foreign Minister, Dr Johann Wadephul, during the German Minister's working visit to South Africa.
Following a tête-à-tête and official bilateral talks, the Ministers addressed the media and outlined areas of agreement and disagreement on some of the world's most pressing conflicts.
Lamola said respect for international law was a central theme of the discussions. From South Africa's perspective, he said, the application of international law must be consistent and free from selective interpretation.
“Indeed, this was one of the subjects of robust engagement. International law must be principled, consistent and predictable. There must be no double standards in the application of international law.
“International law must be applicable across the board,” Lamola emphasised.
Call for accountability and negotiations
Lamola criticised what he described as the continued failure to implement provisional measures issued by international courts regarding Israel's conduct in Gaza.
“We were very clear that we have had a number of provisional orders that continue to be ignored by the state of Israel,” he said.
On the conflict involving Iran, he said South Africa believes the military confrontation could have been avoided.
“Our view is very clear that this was an unnecessary war that could have been avoided,” he said.
He argued that hostilities erupted while negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme were at an advanced stage and warned that mistrust now risks further escalation.
South Africa, he said, continues to advocate for diplomacy and negotiations as the only sustainable path to peace.
“South Africa will call for a return to the negotiation table for durable peace, for peace that is sustainable,” the Minister said.
Lamola also reiterated South Africa's position on the war in Ukraine, saying any settlement must be anchored in international law and respect for sovereignty.
He noted President Cyril Ramaphosa's continued engagement with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as part of ongoing peace efforts.
“We stated that our President has engaged both parties, President Putin and President Zelensky, with an aim of them arriving to a long-lasting solution.”
Lamola said President Zelensky had indicated a willingness to return to negotiations.
“We are pleased that in the last engagement between our President and President Zelensky, he had agreed that he is ready to go back to the negotiation table with no conditions, except that he still stated that he would want the negotiations to happen at a neutral venue,” the Minister said.
Sudan humanitarian crisis raised
The Ministers also discussed conflicts elsewhere on the continent, particularly Sudan.
Lamola described Sudan as one of the world's most severe humanitarian emergencies and called for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access.
“It is one of those very catastrophic conflicts, with the highest level of humanitarian disaster that the world has ever experienced,” he said.
South Africa, currently serving on the African Union Peace and Security Council, continues to support AU-led efforts to secure a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Partnership anchored in multilateralism
The discussions took place against the backdrop of a long-standing bilateral relationship built on democratic values, economic cooperation and support for multilateral institutions.
Germany is South Africa's largest European trading partner and a key investor, while both countries continue to cooperate on peacebuilding, democratic resilience and global governance reform.
Despite differences on some geopolitical questions, both Ministers emphasised the importance of dialogue and engagement in resolving conflicts and defending the international rules-based order. – SAnews.gov.za
