Lawmakers also said South Africa’s “aid” to Russia, which allegedly supplied Russia with arms for the Ukraine war, casts doubt on its entitlement to trade benefits from the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Stated. South Africa’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Clayson Monera said in a statement Tuesday that although the letter from US lawmakers was “noticed”, South Africa remained “backed by the US government” for hosting the Enjoy the AGOA meeting. said they are receiving South Africa’s exports to the United States through AGOA reached US$3 billion last year. The United States is South Africa’s second largest trading partner after China. Moving the November AGAA meeting to another country “sends a clear and important message that the United States will remain with Ukraine. It will carry out a brutal aggression,” lawmakers wrote. has been written. The South African government “deepened its military ties with Russia over the past year”, despite claiming to have remained neutral in the Ukraine war, the newspaper said. The letter, dated June 9, was sent to Secretary of State Anthony Brinken, Trade Representative Catherine Thailand, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The document was signed by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Government, Foreign Affairs and Related Programs. Republican Senator Jim Risch, Senior Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rep. Gregory Meeks, Democrat, senior member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Rep. Michael McCall, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee. AGOA is a law passed by Congress that allows sub-Saharan countries to export duty-free to the US market, provided certain conditions are met. South Africa is one of the largest beneficiaries. Although the United States views South Africa as an important political and economic partner, the country, particularly the ruling African National Congress, has historical ties with Russia that date back to Soviet times. For this reason, the South African government has said it is taking a non-aligned stance on the war in Ukraine. But while the United States broadly accepts this position, it sees some of South Africa’s recent actions as not neutral, but positively favorable to Russia in the war.
