South African Army Chief Visits St Petersburg, Discusses Expansion of Defence Cooperation with Russia

Dragon Media News Desk

Chief of the South African Army Lieutenant General Lawrence Hulekani Mbatha has visited St Petersburg, where he was introduced to Russian artillery systems.

During his official visit to Russia, Mbatha received briefings on the capabilities and operational procedures of various Russian artillery systems. He also participated in a live artillery demonstration and personally fired an artillery gun.

The visit was organised as part of efforts to strengthen military cooperation between South Africa and Russia.

During the trip, Mbatha held a series of meetings with senior Russian military officials to discuss the expansion of bilateral defence relations.

The talks focused on cooperation in military education, professional training and the exchange of military experience and expertise between the two countries.

Earlier, the South African military delegation attended official engagements in Moscow that were also centred on enhancing bilateral defence cooperation.

The programme concluded with high-level talks between the South African delegation and Colonel General Alexander Matovnikov, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces for Peacekeeping Operations.

The two sides discussed expanding cooperation between military educational institutions, strengthening the professional capabilities of military personnel and establishing more regular exchanges of experience and expertise.

The visit by the South African Army chief is viewed as part of continuing efforts to expand the traditionally friendly relationship between Russia and South Africa into the defence and military sectors.