South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has expressed deep concern over Poland's recent denial of access to its territory to the South African presidential security detail and the media team accompanying the African Peace Initiative Mission.
The party's national spokesperson Sinawo Tambo told Sputnik Africa that the Polish authorities' actions are a part of the ongoing "Cold War" strategy aimed to force South Africa to align with NATO to isolate Russia.
Tambo argued that NATO-aligned nations' behavior towards African states disrespects their sovereignty and indicates their disregard for peace.
"The behaviour is unbecoming and should be an indicator of the disrespect NATO aligned nations have for African sovereignty," the EFF representative said. "It is a clear sign that NATO has no interest in peace and will humiliate nations who pursue it through a stance of non-alignment."
Last Thursday, Polish authorities prevented security personnel and journalists from leaving the Warsaw airport for more than 24 hours after their plane landed there to continue their trip by train to Kiev with the African delegation of the Russia-Ukraine Peace Initiative.
As a result, they could not get to Kiev or St. Petersburg with the African leaders' mission.
Earlier this week, the EFF denounced the incident as "racist and a constraint on human rights and the media's freedom" and called on the government of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to take decisive action in response.
The party's proposed response included recalling the South African ambassador to Poland and downgrading the Polish embassy in Pretoria.