War crimes suspect Vladimir Putin agrees NOT to attend economic summit in South Africa next month amid fears the hosts would have to ARREST him on behalf of the International Criminal Court when he stepped off his plane
- There is a warrant by the International Criminal Court for the Russian president
- Just last month, Ramaphosa and Putin were pictured together shaking hands
War crimes suspect Vladimir Putin has agreed not to attend an economic summit in Sout Africa next month amid fears he would be arrested.
There is currently a warrant by the International Criminal Court for the Russian president, South African authorities said today, sparking fears he could be detained when he steps off the plane.
The economic summit in Johannesburg next month will include China’s premier Xi Jinping and other world leaders.
Russia and summit host South Africa reached a ‘mutual agreement’ that Putin would not attend the gathering, which takes palce between August 22 and 24 and brings together a bloc of developing economies known as BRICS. This is despite Putin initially being invited, the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
The development could be viewed as embarrassing for Putin, who is now expected to be the only leader of a country in the bloc not to attend.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa following a meeting with delegation of African leaders at the Constantine (Konstantinovsky) Palace in Strelna
Putin shakes hands with Ramaphosa during their meeting on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
Putin speaks to Ramaphosa during a plenary session at the Russia-Africa summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi
Just last month, Ramaphosa and Putin were pictured smiling together and shaking hands when at a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin ‘has decided to take part’ in the summit via video link, without confirming if he had intended to attend the summit.
It ended months of speculation over whether Putin would travel to South Africa, which is a signatory to the Rome treaty that formed the International Criminal Court and therefore has the obligation to arrest the Russian leader if he sets foot on South African territory.
South Africa had given strong hints that it would not arrest Putin if he attended but had also been lobbying for him not to come to avoid the problem.
As recently as last week, the host country said that the Russian leader had been determined to attend, perhaps as a way to challenge the ICC warrant, which Moscow has dismissed.
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Moscow has showcased the BRICS alliance as an alternative to the West’s global dominance, but this year’s meeting has proved awkward for Putin following the ICC’s move in March to indict him for war crimes relating to the abduction of children from Ukraine.
Although Moscow dismissed the warrant, Putin has not traveled to a country that is a signatory to the ICC treaty since his indictment. Analysts have said that the public debate about whether the Russian leader would or would not travel to South Africa was in itself an unwelcome development for the Kremlin.
The South African government has strong political ties with Russia, but Putin’s attendance would have exposed it to possible diplomatic and legal repercussions.
South Africa’s main opposition party recently took the government to court in an attempt to compel it to arrest Putin should he travel to the country. The ICC treaty has also become part of South African domestic law, meaning the government could be taken to court in South Africa if it failed to honor its commitment to the international court.
Ramaphosa spoke with Putin by telephone this weekend and held more ‘consultations’ with BRICS officials on Tuesday, the president’s office said in a statement.
South Africa had given strong hints that it would not arrest Putin if he attended but had also been lobbying for him not to come to avoid the problem
Just last month, Ramaphosa and Putin were pictured smiling together and shaking hands when at a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the BRICS summit in person to represent Russia.
Wednesday’s announcement comes a day after a court document was made public in which Ramaphosa said that any attempt by South Africa to arrest Putin would be viewed as a ‘declaration of war’ by Russia. The affidavit made by Ramaphosa was part of the government’s response to the court challenge brought by the country’s main opposition party to compel it to arrest Putin.
‘I must highlight, for the sake of transparency, that South Africa has obvious problems with executing a request to arrest and surrender President Putin,’ Ramaphosa said in the affidavit. ‘Russia has made it clear that arresting its sitting president would be a declaration of war.’
However, Kremlin spokesman Peskov denied that.
‘No one has indicated anything to anyone,’ Peskov said. ‘In this world, it is absolutely clear to everyone what an attempt to encroach on the head of the Russian state means. So there is no need to explain anything to anyone here.’
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