Belgium, South Africa reaffirm support for Gaza accountability, Ukraine’s territorial integrity

By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Belgium and South Africa reaffirmed their support for accountability for Gaza and Ukraine’s territorial integrity under international law, as their foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Belgium’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

The two countries “share the conviction that international law isn't optional. Whether it's supporting accountability for Gaza or defending Ukraine's territorial integrity, we're aligned on the fundamentals,” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on US social media company X.

Palestinians have accused Israel of repeatedly violating the Oct. 10 ceasefire that halted Israel’s brutal war that has killed more than 71,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.

At least 465 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 1,280 others injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, according to the Health Ministry.

Prevot said multilateralism has been under strain, with the UN Charter, “once the bedrock of international order,” facing unprecedented tests.

He said talks with his South African counterpart, Ronald Lamola, addressed the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where he urged M23 fighters to withdraw and improve humanitarian access.

The ministers also discussed the crisis in Sudan, which the Belgian minister described as “one of the world’s worst humanitarian and health crises.”

“We cannot look away. Action is urgently needed,” he urged.

After what he described as a “good” conversation with the South African foreign minister, Prevot said bilateral ties continued to strengthen, with a sixth joint commission planned in Pretoria later this year.

According to the South African Foreign Ministry, Pretoria and Brussels conduct their diplomatic engagement through the Bilateral Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC), established in 2004 during a visit by former President Thabo Mbeki.

Belgium is a major investor in South Africa, with holdings of over $17 billion in sectors, including mining, green energy, ports, logistics and agriculture, while a number of South African companies also operate in Belgium.

Trade between the countries is significant, with Belgium a leading source of European tourism to South Africa.