Johannesburg, June 13 – A group of U.S. lawmakers has made a strong appeal to have a U.S.-Africa trade summit, scheduled for later this year, relocated from South Africa. They expressed concerns over what they perceive as the country’s “deepening military relationship” with Russia.
In a letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other high-ranking officials, the lawmakers also hinted that South Africa could face potential repercussions, including the loss of benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) – a significant trade program established by Washington.
The AGOA Forum, a meeting of African leaders and U.S. officials to discuss the future of the AGOA, is set to take place in Johannesburg. South Africa, whose exports to the U.S. under AGOA amounted to nearly $1 billion in the first quarter of this year, stands as the second-largest beneficiary of the program after Nigeria.
African nations are currently advocating for an extension of AGOA, which provides qualifying countries with preferential access to the U.S. market for their exports.
The letter, dated June 9, stated, “We are seriously concerned that hosting the 2023 AGOA Forum in South Africa would serve as an implicit endorsement of South Africa’s damaging support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
South African foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela responded to the letter on Twitter, stating, “There is no decision by the State Department/White House to move the AGOA Forum from SA.”
The Department of Trade and Industry in South Africa, responsible for managing the country’s trade relations with the United States, announced that it had no plans to publicly address the letter.
South Africa’s government has officially declared its neutrality in the conflict in Ukraine, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is actively participating in African leaders’ efforts to mediate the dispute.
Nonetheless, the U.S. lawmakers expressed their frustration with South Africa’s joint naval operations conducted with China and Russia in February. They also criticized the plans to hold a summit of BRICS leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite him facing war crimes charges from the International Criminal Court.
The lawmakers seemed to support a claim made by the U.S. ambassador to South Africa that a sanctioned Russian vessel had collected weapons at a South African naval base last year. South African officials have stated that they are unaware of any such arms transfer and have initiated an independent investigation into the alleged incident.