From Johannesburg, France’s ambassador to South Africa, David Martinon, used a press briefing to reiterate France’s position: Pretoria should be reinstated in G20 meetings. The call comes after the host country, the United States, excluded South Africa amid heightened diplomatic tensions—a move widely seen as arbitrary.
As a result, South African representatives were unable to attend the first G20 meetings already held. When former U.S. President Donald Trump announced South Africa’s exclusion last November, Germany reacted swiftly, stating it would do everything possible to convince Washington to reverse its decision. More recently, Brazil has also stepped in to defend Pretoria.
According to Ambassador Martinon, France is equally engaged in efforts to resolve the situation. “The issue has been raised several times with the sherpas and with our diplomatic advisers,” he explained. “We firmly believe that South Africa is a member of the G20 and must take part in all its meetings.”
His remarks highlight a key point: South Africa is not only a permanent member but also a founding member of the G20, and no single country is supposed to unilaterally exclude it. Tensions between Washington and Pretoria have been strained for some time, particularly after Donald Trump boycotted the G20 summit held in Johannesburg last year.
During the same press briefing, Martinon also addressed France’s G7 summit and its decision to invite Kenya instead of South Africa—despite earlier claims from Pretoria that it might be on the guest list. He clarified that only four countries were invited. “We chose Kenya because we consider the Africa Forward summit to be, in a way, an integral part of France’s G7 presidency,” the diplomat explained.
The Africa Forward summit, co-organized by France and Kenya, is set to begin in Nairobi on May 11.
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