Lt-Gen Lawrence Mbatha, the South African National Defence Force chief, held talks with Russian counterparts on Tuesday during a visit to Moscow that his hosts said resulted in an agreement to beef up ties between the two nations’ land forces.
Mbatha, on his second official visit to Russia, was part of a military delegation that Russia’s defence ministry said would visit military academies and defence companies after holding talks in the capital.
“The two sides discussed joint projects at the [Russian army’s] General Headquarters aimed at enhancing the combat readiness of both countries’ armies,” the Russian ministry said in a statement.
“Agreements were reached on further strengthening cooperation between the land forces in various areas.”
SA has sought to maintain a non-aligned stance on the conflict in Ukraine while preserving strong ties with Moscow as a fellow member of the Brics group of emerging economies.
Mbatha was shown paying his respects at Moscow’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before holding talks with Russian Col-Gen Alexander Matovnikov, deputy commander-in-chief of Russia’s land forces, who thanked SA’s political and military leadership for what he called its “firm position” on Russia and shared vision of a multipolar world.
