Russian President Vladimir Putin, on his first official state visit to South Africa, stated that: “The time is right to formalize the mutual affinity between the South African and Russian people.”
“It is true that we are considering major projects worth billions of dollars in investments,” Putin told journalists at a media briefing. The Russian President was accompanied by a 100-strong delegation, and focused mainly on trade and economic co-operation. “Long term projects under consideration are in the fields of mining, energy, aluminum sorting, the supply of nuclear fuels for peaceful purposes, agriculture, chemicals, oil and gas, and military technology, among others.” (www.iafrica.com)
President Thabo Mbeki and President Vladimir Putin signed a Treaty of Friendship and Partnership between South Africa and the Russian Federation. Other agreements in the fields of heath and medical science, exploration and the use of outer space, and defense – industrial co-operation were also signed by the South African and Russian ministers responsible.
At a state dinner, hosted by Thabo Mbeki in Putin’s honour on Tuesday 5 September, Putin declared that: “Russia and South Africa’s approaches to the resolution of many international issues were close and well attuned.” The Russian President declared that South Africa and Russia were ready for “the closest possible interaction” on the political front, as well as in trade and economics.
The South African President in his toast at the banquet, noted that South Africa’s “Strategic relationship” with Russia had ensured that the two countries had been able to co-operate on major global issues and would continue to do so. (www.iafrica.com)
Mosnews.com described the visit as: “Intended to forge closer ties between the mineral and diamond superpowers… despite long historical ties between Moscow and the leading African National Congress (ANC), Putin is on the first visit to South Africa by a Russian Head of State.” Mosnews described South Africa and Russia as having “two of the world’s biggest emerging market economies.” The Moscow Report noted that “Moscow was a leading supporter of the long battle against white minority rule, which ended in 1994. Many of South Africa’s leaders, including Mbeki, received military training in Russia. Both states have evolved along parallel lines, blessed with mineral wealth.”
The Moscow Report noted that the South African De Beers controlled about half of the world’s diamond market, while “Alrosa, owned by the Russian State, extracts nearly a quarter of the world’s diamonds.”
The report claimed that the signing of a “Memorandum of Understanding” between De Beers and Alrosa, means that between them the South African and Russian firms now account for over 75% of the world’s diamond mining. Diamond giant, De Beer’s Chairman, Nicky Oppenheimer held discussions with Russian President, Valdimir Putin. Oppenheimer was quoted by iafrica as saying that: “De Beer’s had had a successful association with the Russian diamond industry for the best part of 50 years.”
Aljazeera.net reported that: “Putin’s visit… is seen as a drive by Moscow to reassert its diplomatic influence in Africa. The Soviet Union was a powerful supporter of South Africa’s then underground African National Congress… Mbeki received military training in Russia in 1970 as did other members of the current government.” “Moscow has signed a range of economic deals with Pretoria including one to supply fuel to South Africa’s Koeberg Nuclear Power Station.” Aljazeera.com quoted Putin as saying: “We propose the widening of this…co-operation in the sphere of developing atomic energy for peaceful aims long term and large scale.” The Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is Africa’s only Nuclear fired facility.
IOL noted that despite: “just more than 20 years ago, the world’s worst accident in the history of nuclear power occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine. Explosions at the plant and a nuclear meltdown released a plume of radioactive fallout that drifted over large parts of the then Soviet Union and Europe. South Africa and Russia now plan to work together in nuclear matters including building six new nuclear reactors at Koeberg.” (www.iol.co.za – 06/09/06)
The St. Petersburg Times (05/09/06) noted that Putin was the first Kremlin leader to visit South Africa “Despite Moscow’s active support of the country’s long battle to end white rule. South African Intelligence Minister, Ronnie Kasrils, one the country’s best known white radicals and Communists, recalls with nostagla his own guerilla training in Odessa in 1964, when he was 26 years old. ‘One must hand it to the former Soviet Union,’ Kasrils said in an interview. ‘They were really the main staple support for the ANC and South African liberation. They were really fantastic in terms of military training and in terms of weapons, in terms of food and the like.’”
“Kasrils was among the first group of 200 guerillas of the then banned ANC, or African National Congress, sent to Russia for military training. Many senior members of South Africa’s current government, including President Thabo Mbeki, were to follow… Mandela… did not visit Moscow until just before he retired in 1999.” (The St. Petersburg Times – 05/09/06)
Putin described the visit to South Arica as: “A working visit to formalize the mutual affinity” between the South African and Russian people. Thabo Mbeki said that as South Africa was soon to take up a two year, non-permanent seat on the United Nation Security Council, from January 1 next year, he was looking forward to closer co-operation with Russia in this regard. Mbeki was quoted as saying that the Russian experience as a permanent member would “help empower us to discharge our responsibilities” in the UN Security Council. Upon completion of his visit to South Africa, President Putin departed for Morocco for talks with King Mohammed.
Mosnews reported that the Russian firm Renova now has 49% of United Manganese of Kalahari, “Which it says has deposits of several hundred million tons of the metal. South Africa has 80% of the world’s reserve of Manganese, which is used in steel making.”
Mosnews noted that with the signing of these memorandums and agreements, during Putin’s state visit to South Africa, Russia and South Africa together had achieved a “dominance” of the world reserves of strategic metals.
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