JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 14 — South Africa has engaged with the embassies of the Group of 20 (G20) countries following its exclusion from G20-related activities by the United States, according to South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola.
In an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday, Lamola said South Africa will not attend next year’s G20 summit in Miami, the United States, unless it receives a formal invitation from Washington.
He stressed, however, that Pretoria will not call for a boycott of the summit even if it is excluded. The minister said the United States had taken unilateral decisions this year on a range of issues, including trade, and had withdrawn from several multilateral platforms.
“If we give them a boycott, we will be further giving them the opportunity to be working alone. So they must be engaged,” he said.
Lamola added that the majority of G20 members would continue discussions with the United States on South Africa’s participation in the G20-related processes.
Earlier, according to local media’s report, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation sent a “note verbale” on Wednesday to the embassies and high commissions of the G20 countries, which said the United States had informed South Africa that it would not be invited to participate in any G20 activities during the U.S. presidency, including the Sherpa, working groups, ministerial meetings and the leaders’ summit. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
