FOREIGN AFFAIRS: SA has moved on from Trump’s G20 summit snub, says Ambassador Roelf Meyer
SA’s US ambassador, Roelf Meyer, says SA will attend the B20 in Washington and is already engaging with the UK about next year’s G20.
South Africa's ambassador to the United States, Roelf Meyer, has stated that the country has moved on from President Donald Trump's snub of South Africa during the G20 summit in Miami, Florida. In an interview with the Cape Town Press Club, Meyer revealed that South Africa will attend the B20 summit in Washington, DC, in November and is already engaging with the UK regarding next year's G20. The South African government is reportedly not troubled by its exclusion from the US G20 summit, which took place in December.
Meyer was responding to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's call for the US to invite South Africa to the Miami summit. While he acknowledged that the US's decision to boycott and disinvite South Africa had initially been a stumbling block in the relationship, Meyer emphasized that South Africa is focusing on other matters, such as attending the B20 summit and participating in various G20 side events.
He also highlighted the importance of South Africa's trade and diplomatic ties with the US, noting that more than 600 companies are doing business in South Africa to mutual benefit.
When asked about the possibility of repairing the relationship with the US, Meyer stated that it was important to have a good relationship with the US due to its status as the world's largest economy. However, he did not directly address whether South Africa was a "political football or a prize" for the US. Instead, he expressed his commitment to restoring the relationship in the best possible way as quickly as possible, stating that his goal is to create jobs in South Africa by repairing and strengthening diplomatic and economic ties with Washington.
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