PRETORIA, February 7. /TASS/. South Africa stands for peace, equality and cooperation in international relations, seeking to achieve them, including through BRICS, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his annual state of the nation address.

"As South Africans, we stand for peace and justice, for equality and solidarity. We stand for non-racialism and democracy, for tolerance and compassion," he said. "South Africa continues to advance its agenda of cooperation and multilateralism through its membership in the United Nations, the African Union, the Non-Aligned Movement and the BRICS group of countries," the president emphasized.

Ramaphosa said that as humanity faces unprecedented challenges, South Africa believes that a reformed UN must be at the center of world affairs. "We will continue to push for progress on the reform of the UN Security Council into a more inclusive, more effective body that is able to ensure peace and security," the South African president said. "We are fully committed to the articles of the United Nations Charter, including the principle that all members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means," he pointed out.

According to Ramaphosa, South Africa continues to participate in various peace processes, seeking, among other things, a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. "We continue to participate in the different peace processes seeking to bring about a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. South African delegations have been instrumental in developing a framework for negotiations towards a just peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter and international law," he said. "The work we do and what we stand for needs to be explained to many key players, especially to our trading partners and the many countries and leaders we interact with on the global stage," he added.

Ramaphosa also said that South Africa stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine who, having endured decades of illegal occupation, are now experiencing unspeakable suffering.