South Africa moves on from exclusion from US G20 summit
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick
South Africa is no longer concerned about its exclusion from the G20 summit hosted by the United States in Miami in December, its ambassador to Washington, Roelf Meyer, said. He said Pretoria was already in talks with the United Kingdom, which will host the summit the following year, and would attend the B20 in Washington in November, Daily Maverick reports.
South Africa no longer considers its exclusion from the G20 summit hosted by the United States in Miami in December an obstacle, its ambassador to Washington, Roelf Meyer, said at the Cape Town Press Club on Monday 26 October. Pretoria has already begun discussions with the United Kingdom, which will chair the G20 next year, according to the diplomat, quoted by Daily Maverick.
South Africa will attend the B20 summit in Washington in November, the G20’s business-focused arm. Members of its embassy and South African business leaders will attend, while the country will also take part in other parallel events, including cultural ones, Roelf Meyer said. The B20 is organised by US businesses, not the US government.
The ambassador said that a strong relationship with Washington remained important, as the United States was the world’s largest economy. South Africa, a founding member of the G20, was excluded from the US summit after Donald Trump boycotted the summit hosted by Pretoria the previous year, according to Daily Maverick.
Pretoria’s position came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz asked the United States to invite South Africa to the Miami summit. It also followed reports on threats of further measures against South Africa on 23 October.
