South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has downplayed reports that his invitation to the forthcoming G7 summit in France has been withdrawn, saying non-attendance by a country outside the bloc should surprise no-one.
Reports on Thursday claimed the US had put huge pressure on France to rescind Ramaphosa's invitation to the summit scheduled for June. They claimed US President Donald Trump had threatened to boycott the summit if the South African leader attended.
The invitation to the G7 does not mean that you're being snubbed if you're not invited or you're being ignored, said Ramaphosa.
France has denied yielding to any US pressure, stating it had decided to invite Kenya this time around.
As the current president of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations, France indicated it would host leaders from South Korea and three other non-member countries: India, Brazil, and Kenya, as part of efforts to correct global economic imbalances.
A South African official stated that the country had been excluded from the summit after initially receiving an invitation, citing sustained pressure from the US. Ramaphosa noted that many countries worldwide do not get invited to G7 meetings, adding that exclusion should be taken in stride.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot assured that his country had not yielded to any pressure but opted instead for a streamlined G7 focusing on new partnerships.
A White House official supported this by confirming that Kenya's invitation arose from discussions among G7 members, emphasizing that the relationship dynamics are evolving.
The tension between the US and South Africa has grown under the Trump administration, marked by disputes over trade and diplomacy, particularly regarding issues of race and land reform policies in South Africa.
Despite the political climate, the South African presidency stressed that ongoing dialogues would help reset relations with the US while maintaining robust ties with France.
