MOSCOW - The commander of the South African army's ground forces is on an official visit to Moscow, Russian news agencies said on Monday, after US accusations that Pretoria blamed arms deliveries to Russia.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, quoted by the TASS and Interfax agencies, Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha and his delegation discussed with their Russian colleagues "issues of military cooperation" aimed at "increasing the combat readiness of the armed forces of the two countries".
"During the meeting of military leaders, agreements were reached on strengthening cooperation between ground forces in various fields," the source added. "During the visit, the delegation will visit military educational establishments of the Russian ground forces and enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex," the ministry said.
Mr. Ramaphosa spoke on the phone last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two leaders having shown their desire to “increase” their cooperation, according to the Kremlin.
