Despite an international arrest warrant, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to a summit of emerging countries in South Africa.

All five heads of state of the BRICS members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have received an invitation to a planned summit from August 22 to 24 in Johannesburg, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said at a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in Cape Town.

This year’s summit meeting is particularly politically explosive. In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin. South Africa, which signed the ICC’s statutes, would be obliged to arrest the Russian President upon entry into South Africa. So far, South Africa has not made a clear statement about the procedure should Putin actually arrive.

At a press conference in the evening, ministers dodged questions about Putin’s possible attendance at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. “The South African government is currently examining the various legal options,” said Pandor. “The commitments are clear.” President Cyril Ramaphosa will announce South Africa’s final position, Pandor said.

South Africa had already come under criticism in 2015 when the country refused to arrest then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and extradite him to the ICC.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West must back down on its quest for supremacy, its sanctions and financial blackmail.

The governments of Asia, Africa and Latin America strengthened their economic positions and confidently pursued their national interests in order to “play an equal role in global processes,” Lavrov said. This will create a more just world order.

During the preparatory talks for the summit, the foreign ministers of the up-and-coming emerging countries discussed better cooperation among themselves and with the 20 most important economic nations (G20).

Also high on the list was whether to allow countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and 17 others that had applied to join the BRICS.

Image by Wikimedia (The Kremlin)/Attribution International (CC-BY  4.0)