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President Cyril Ramaphosa has downplayed reports that his invitation to the forthcoming G7 summit in France has been withdrawn, saying non-attendance by a country outside the bloc should surprise no-one.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, however, denied yielding to any US pressure, saying it had decided to invite Kenya this time.
France, which holds the presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations, said on Thursday it would host leaders from South Korea and three other non-member countries - India, Brazil and Kenya - at its annual summit in Évian-les-Bains.
It said the invitations were part of efforts to correct global economic imbalances.
A South African official said on Thursday it had been excluded from the summit after initially being invited, citing sustained pressure from the US.
Vincent Magwenya, the presidency spokesperson, noted that the US could not risk missing a key member of the G7 due to the withdrawal of the invitation, which President Emmanuel Macron had personally extended to Ramaphosa at last year's G20 summit in Johannesburg.
But Ramaphosa stated there had been no pressure from any country regarding his invitation.
He emphasized that South Africa is not a G7 member, and thus it is not surprising if the country did not receive an invitation.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed that France did not yield to any pressure but opted for a streamlined G7, inviting Kenya instead to help prepare for the France-Africa summit in Nairobi in May.
US State Department officials have clarified that they did not ask France to exclude South Africa from the G7 Summit, with sources confirming that the decision was made following discussions among G7 members.
Relations between the US and South Africa have deteriorated recently, with disputes over trade and diplomatic strategies, particularly since Trump assumed office. Ramaphosa's administration criticized the US's focus on racial policies within South Africa, while US officials have expressed concern over the country’s land reform and treatment of its white minority.
Earlier this month, the South African government summoned the new US ambassador to address certain comments about Pretoria's policies. Meanwhile, the presidency spokesperson stated that the process to reset relations with the US is ongoing, asserting that bilateral relations with France remain strong despite the withdrawal of the invitation.
