Johannesburg - South African Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Thandi Modise, says the multinational maritime exercise between South Africa, Russia, and China that will take place over a 10-day period will benefit all three participating nations.
She said the exercise would benefit all countries involved through improved interoperability of the naval systems, joint disaster systems management enhancement, maritime cooperation, and anti-piracy exercises.
Modise said that the event known as Exercise Mosi II will serve as a platform for the three nations to share operational skills, expertise, and experience.
This comes after the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) announced last week that it will host the People’s Liberation Army Navy from China and the Russian Federal Navy during the multilateral maritime exercise scheduled to take place from February 17 to 27, 2023.
The maritime exercise will be held in Durban and Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the department, this will be the second time such an exercise will be taking place involving the three naval forces, with the first one held in November 2019 in Cape Town.
“We also enjoy defence diplomatic relations with several countries across all the continents of the world since we have become an integral part of the community of nations and are no longer a pariah state,” said the department.
The Department proclaimed that South Africa, like any independent and sovereign state, has the right to conduct its foreign relations in line with its diplomatic relations and national interests.
South Africa sees Exercise Mosi II as an opportunity to contribute towards further strengthening the strong bonds that exist between South Africa, Russia, and China.
The Star