Citing the fact that South Africa had not been able to speak in the plenary session of the so-called Ukraine peace conference over June 15-16, Sydney Mufamadi, National Security Advisor of the Republic of South Africa, at the “High-Level Summit on Peace for Ukraine,” issued a statement on from the foreign ministry on why South Africa’s government did not sign the final communiqué of the conference in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.
Mufamadi opened by asserting that: “South Africa sought, in accepting the invitation to join the Ukraine Peace Formula process, to help change the direction of this conflict by contributing to de-escalation and to an inclusive process of dialogue which would help bring about peace.
“This goal informed South Africa’s participation in the African Peace Initiative, which was a means to shuttle between the parties to foster dialogue.
“We must focus on creating conditions for dialogue, for building trust between the parties, engaging with both sides. Our efforts should be on engaging in dialogue, fostering it, and promoting steps to end the war—not to manage the war.”
