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South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has dismissed reports suggesting that his invitation to the upcoming G7 summit in France was withdrawn, saying it should not be surprising when non-member countries were not invited.
Media reports earlier indicated that the United States had pressured France to rescind South Africa’s invitation to the June summit, with claims that US President, Donald Trump, threatened to boycott the meeting if Ramaphosa attended.
However, according to BBC, Ramaphosa downplayed the development, noting that South Africa was not a member of the Group of Seven and therefore attendance was not guaranteed.
“The invitation to the G7 does not mean that you’re being snubbed if you’re not invited or you’re being ignored,” Ramaphosa said.
Read more: Trump confronts Ramaphosa over white farmer killings in tense White House exchange
France, which currently holds the G7 presidency, denied that the decision was influenced by Washington, stating that it had chosen to invite Kenya instead this year.
The French government announced that leaders from India, Brazil, South Korea and Kenya would attend the summit scheduled to take place in Évian-les-Bains.
France said the invitations were part of efforts to address global economic imbalances and strengthen international cooperation.
Earlier, South African presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya suggested Pretoria had initially been invited before the decision changed following what he described as sustained US pressure.
“They couldn’t risk missing a key member of the G7, hence the withdrawal of their invitation, which President Emmanuel Macron personally extended to President Ramaphosa last year during the G20 summit in Johannesburg,” Magwenya said.
However, Ramaphosa later clarified that, according to information available to him, there had been no pressure from any country.
“So many countries around the world don’t get invited to the G7, and we are not a member. When we do go, we are invited, and we take a message there,” he said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also rejected claims that Paris had bowed to US pressure, explaining that France opted for a more streamlined guest list and invited Kenya ahead of a planned Africa-France summit in Nairobi in May.
A US State Department official also denied that Washington had requested South Africa’s exclusion, while a White House official indicated that Kenya’s invitation followed consultations among G7 member countries.
President Macron is expected to visit Kenya in May for a two-day Africa-France summit ahead of the June G7 meeting.
The development comes amid strained relations between Washington and Pretoria since Trump returned to office last year, with the two countries disagreeing over trade, foreign policy and South Africa’s international partnerships.
Trump has criticised Ramaphosa’s government over land reform policies and allegations relating to the treatment of South Africa’s white minority.
In response, South Africa has criticised the US decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, stating that claims of a so-called white genocide have been widely discredited and lack credible evidence.
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