South Africa’s commitment to human rights is central to its foreign policy, promoting solidarity and respect for other nations.
This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa who spoke to the media following a letters of credence ceremony for Heads of Mission and Ambassadors at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria.
“Our commitment to human rights defines our international foreign policy, and this is who we are as South Africans. We promote human rights solidarity as well as respect for other nations, and that's how we've decided to define our foreign policy,” he told reporters on Thursday.
South Africa’s foreign policy aims to promote the prosperity of all nations, collaborating with them in a multilateral manner, and upholding the values that are significant to South Africans, the Head of State said.
“The recognition by other nations as they come to present their credentials of what we stand for is a real recognition for us, which we really appreciate because sometimes we don’t really realise the impact of what we stand for has on what other people think of us.
“I mean, some of them [other nations] are relating how our Truth and Reconciliation Commission process has also influenced what they are doing, what our constitutional principles, how they also influence what they do.
“So, it’s soft power. We’ve got human rights advocacy in South Africa as the soft power that we spread around the world. We do so with humility, without being arrogant, and without being disrespectful to others. And it is what is Ubuntu all about, that is what defines us, and we are very proud of continuing to adhere to those values and those constitutional principles,” the President explained.
At the ceremony, the President received Heads of Mission Designate from 14 countries.
Namely, these countries are Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia, Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Türkiye, Japan, Mongolia, Portugal, Panama, Nepal, and Senegal.
Letters of Credence are official diplomatic documents presented to the President by the Heads of the Mission Designate, whose respective governments have been nominated to serve as Ambassadors to South Africa.
The President believes that the presence of Ambassadors and High Commissioners presenting their credentials, sent by their respective countries, indicates that South Africa is open for business.
“They want to represent the interests of their own countries here, but at the same time promoting our own interests.
“You should be spreading this message and saying, as much as we are going through many challenges, we are seen and recognised by others for what we do, particularly what we seek to do to advance the interests of our own people,” he told journalists. – SAnews.gov.za
