South African speaker appointed to mediate in Russia-Ukraine conflict

CAPE TOWN, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has appointed Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, to its task force to mediate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, South Africa's parliament said on Wednesday.

The appointment was made after the global organization of national parliaments adopted a resolution to form a task team to engage the parliaments of Russia and Ukraine, thereby joining forces with other mediating parties to end the conflict.

In a statement, South Africa's parliament urged parliaments of other countries to "actively seek peaceful conflict resolution through dialogue, mediation and diplomacy."

Established in 1889, the IPU has 178 member parliaments.