South African President Cyril Ramaphosa downplayed reports his G7 invitation in France was withdrawn, saying non member absences are not unusual….reports Asian Lite news
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has played down reports that his invitation to the upcoming G7 summit in France was withdrawn, saying it is not unusual for non member countries to miss out on the gathering.
According to BBC, reports on Thursday suggested the United States had exerted significant pressure on France to rescind the invitation, with President Donald Trump allegedly threatening to boycott the summit if Ramaphosa attended.
“The invitation to the G7 does not mean you are being snubbed if you are not invited,” Ramaphosa said, dismissing the claims.
France has denied any such pressure, stating it opted to invite Kenya instead. As the current G7 president, France confirmed it would host leaders from India, Brazil, Kenya and South Korea at the summit in Évian les Bains, as part of efforts to address global economic imbalances.
However, a South African official told the BBC that the country had initially been invited but was later excluded, citing sustained pressure from the US.
