Ukraine visa agreement still undergoing diplomatic processes

International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola, has confirmed that the long-awaited visa waiver for Ukrainian holders of diplomatic and official passports will move forward through diplomatic channels, with the agreement to be signed upon the completion of the necessary procedures.

“Once those processes have been concluded, the agreement will then be concluded, which will enable our diplomats and services and official passports to be able to travel between the two countries seamlessly,” the Minister said on Monday. 

Lamola made the remarks in Pretoria while hosting his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“The agreement has not been signed and once all the diplomatic processes have been concluded, the agreement will be signed. The officials between the two departments, including the Department of Home Affairs, have agreed in terms of the text of this agreement, which represents progress because it’s a process that was started by my predecessor.”

Lamola noted that the process was “ripe” for conclusion and stated that his team was dedicated to completing the project.

Lamola said he has noted the Ukraine’s request for reciprocity concerning ordinary citizens. 

“As we are aware, we service our citizens and the citizens of Ukraine through Warsaw in Poland, which complicates our work. We will process this matter through our own internal mechanisms, and we’ll be able to give you feedback through the diplomatic channels. 

“Regarding this request, we deliberated on constraints to fragile international security, including, but not limited, to the current wars.” 

Lamola told Sybiha and his delegates that he was pleased to learn that the Ukraine wants peace, and that they are willing and ready to engage with Russia, as suggested by South Africa. 

“We believe that in this conflict, it’s important that all the warring factions are on the table, and they [are] able to engage.

“They cannot only meet on the battlefield, because any peaceful resolution will come through diplomatic engagements and peaceful negotiations of the conflict that is currently ongoing.”

Lamola believes that it is important to find long-lasting peace in this ongoing conflict that has affected the global supply of grain and food prices across the globe. 

“It is in the interest of us and the people of the world that we see a peaceful resolution to this conflict, and we look forward to that engagement through the peace formula that will involve all the parties.”

Lamola said he was looking forward to continuing the engagement between the two parties, with regard to the Africa Initiative led by President Cyril Ramaphosa and other African leaders. 

This initiative aims to persuade the parties to a negotiation platform, Lamola explained, adding that South Africa is also part of the China-Brazil initiative, which is also pushing to bring the parties to any engagement. Lamola said he is hopeful that one day this will be realised.

Lamola told the delegation that South Africa, which has also engaged in peace efforts in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region and Sudan, was “very concerned” about the current humanitarian crisis. 

This includes the maiming of innocent children and women in Sudan, while the Red Cross, the largest humanitarian organisation, has declared the Sahel region as one of the biggest humanitarian disasters the world has ever seen.

Shifting his focus back to the political consultations, Lamola said South Africa is looking forward to allowing diplomatic processes that will enable the strengthening of bilateral trade between South Africa and the Ukraine. 

This involves the areas of trade, digital transformation, agriculture and many other fields, including the skills gap that exists in both nations.

Meanwhile, Lamola said his department will process the invite they received to visit the Ukraine. 

“We will be able to give feedback in terms of what is possible after we have followed all the diplomatic processes,” he said. 

He also stressed South Africa’s non-alignment stance and the country’s participation in various initiatives aimed at finding a solution to this ongoing conflict.  

“There must be a channel of communication that is open, that enables them to engage on some issues, including finding a ceasefire in that conflict. This is very important for the people of the group, in line with the UN [United Nations] Charter.” – SAnews.gov.za 

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