MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. Russia is confident that South Africa will be able to ensure the effective work of all delegations at the upcoming BRICS summit in August, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Thursday.
The diplomat stressed that the actions of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Russian nationals are legally void, and under international law, high-ranking officials enjoy absolute immunity that cannot be revoked by ICC decisions.
"Questions are coming in, including in regard to certain events, with the BRICS summit among them. We are confident that the friendly Republic of South Africa will host the summit, which is scheduled for August, at the highest organizational level and will ensure that delegations from all BRICS partners at all levels can work effectively and productively," the diplomat said.
The 15th BRICS summit will take place in Durban, South Africa, on August 22-24. Previously, it was reported that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had sent invitations to the leaders of the member countries to participate in the event.
On March 17, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on charges of the "unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children. Commenting on the decision, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow did not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC. In turn, Zakharova said that the decisions of the ICC had no authority for Russia whatsoever, while any potential arrest warrants would be legally void.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established by the Rome Statute in 1998. It is not part of the United Nations and is accountable only to those countries that have ratified the statute, which include South Africa.