South Africa says improving relationship with U.S. 'a priority'
The Hindu
Tensions rise as US expels South African ambassador, sparking efforts to improve relations, President Ramaphosa says.
South Africa considers improving its relationship with the United States a "priority", President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday after Washington expelled Pretoria's ambassador.
Tensions between the two countries boiled over on Friday when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was "persona non grata".
Mr. Rubio linked his post to an article from conservative news outlet Breitbart which wrote that, in an online seminar Friday, Rasool had described Trump's Make America Great Again movement as "a white supremacist response to growing demographic diversity in the United States".
Mr. Rubio called him "a race-baiting politician" who hates President Donald Trump.
"We have noted the displeasure that has been expressed by the United States, particularly about the remarks he made," Ramaphosa told journalists, adding he was waiting for a "full report" from Rasool.
"Improving our relationship with the United States of America is a priority for us," Mr. Ramaphosa said.
"They are our second largest trading partner after China and we will therefore seek, as we must, to ensure that our relations are on a good footing."
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