Minister Ronald Lamola insists the US did not boycott the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, confirming their participation through a delegation.
The minister of international relations and cooperation, Ronald Lamola, says that there was no boycott of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting by the United States, despite US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision not to attend.
The minister stated on Friday afternoon that Rubio would not attend, and the South African government was aware of the reasons he stated for not attending, but there was still a low-level delegation.
At the beginning of February, Rubio announced on X that he would not attend this week’s meeting. This came following the Trump administration’s accusations of land seizures and the subsequent halt of foreign aid to Pretoria.
‘There was no boycott’ – Lamola
US Charge d’Affaires to South Africa Dana Brown participated on behalf of the US, Lamola confirmed.
“There was no boycott. They were here. They participated, and we appreciate their participation,” the minister said in a media briefing after the foreign ministers’ meeting concluded.
He added that the US are full G20 members, and as such, they have the right to participate even if the US is critical of South Africa.
ALSO READ: The absence of some leaders from G20 ‘is not the end of the world’, says Ramaphosa
On Thursday morning, US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent announced that he would no longer attend the G20 finance ministers’ meeting in South Africa.
Bessent, who had earlier stated that he would attend, wrote on X that he would not be attending the event next week because of commitments in Washington. He stated he would be replaced by a Treasury official.
Lamola said the department noted the tweet and added that the government was hopeful the US would also delegate somebody to attend one of the finance ministers’ meetings in Cape Town.
Foreign minister meeting outcomes
Meanwhile, the minister said the meeting focused on sustainable priorities, including disaster resilience, debt sustainability for low-income countries and just energy transition.
He said the meeting emphasised the need for urgent action to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the impact of conflicts on development and supporting South Africa’s proposed methods of managing geopolitical issues.
