The European Union Ambassador to South Africa, Kristian Schmidt, says the EU and South Africa share the same views on respect for international law.
This comes amid a number of conflicts, including the war between the US and Iran and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ambassador Schmidt has also reiterated the need to increase trade between South Africa and EU member states.
“The international system is under pressure. The respect for the rule of law and international law is under pressure worldwide. And I noted that the President very rightly mentioned consistently all the conflicts. He mentioned the Middle East; he mentioned the Sudan and the DRC, but he also mentioned Ukraine. And we agree with him that consistency and standing up for international law in all these conflicts and the respect for recognised borders are important. So, on that one, Europe and South Africa are completely aligned. It is absolutely critical because we share the same values, the same interest in maintaining the rules-based international order, free and fair trade, and respect for the UN Charter.”