South Africa Downplays Army Chief Visit to Moscow After US Spat
- Visit was planned well in advance, Defence Force says
- Trip comes after US accused Pretoria of sending arms to Russia
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg
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South Africa downplayed reports that an army delegation is visiting Moscow for talks on enhancing military cooperation, days after a row erupted with the US over allegations that Pretoria supplied weapons to Russia.
South Africa’s army chief Lawrence Mbatha is in Moscow for talks with military officials and will visit military educational institutions, the defence force said in a statement Monday. Mbatha was invited by his Russian counterpart and the bilateral meeting “was planned well in advance,” the statement said.