During a tense but wide-ranging Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that global cooperation through multilateral platforms such as the G20 was among the key topics discussed with US President Donald Trump.
Ramaphosa, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the G20, extended a direct invitation to Trump to attend the upcoming summit, scheduled to take place in South Africa later this year.
Emphasising the symbolic and practical importance of US participation, Ramaphosa said he hoped to hand over the presidency “to a full chair, not an empty one.”
‘Needs to be there’
“We also discussed the G20 and we stressed that the G20, having been formed by the United States, of course, together with other countries, it is important that the United States should continue playing a key role,” Ramaphosa told reporters after the meeting.
“I want to hand over the Presidency of the G20 to President Trump in November, and I said he needs to be there.
“I don’t want to hand over the Presidency of the G20 to an empty chair. I want to hand it over to him, sitting in that chair in November, and he is going to give serious consideration to it.
“In fact, I expect him to come to South Africa,” he added.
The invitation comes amid a period of strained relations between the two countries, with disagreements over land reform, racial violence, and South Africa’s international positions.
Trump has so far refrained from engaging with several G20 processes under Ramaphosa’s chairmanship, and his administration has criticised Pretoria’s recent diplomatic stances, including its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Still, Ramaphosa expressed hope that South Africa’s hosting of the G20 summit could mark a turning point in multilateral engagement and US-Africa relations.
The G20 summit, to be held in Johannesburg from 22-23 November, will bring together the world’s major economies to address pressing global challenges, including economic recovery, climate action, and international security.
A confirmed appearance by Donald Trump could signal a renewed commitment by the US to international cooperation under his administration.
Do you think Donald Trump will attend this year’s G20 Summit?
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