South Africa will not plead with the United States to reverse its reported plan to exclude Pretoria from the Group of 20 (G20) meeting next year, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has said.
JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- South Africa will not plead with the United States to reverse its reported plan to exclude Pretoria from the Group of 20 (G20) meeting next year, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has said.
Briefing the media in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital, on Wednesday, Ntshavheni said: "Why should we plead with the United States? We are not in the business of pleading with the United States. We are a sovereign state. They are a sovereign state."
The minister said that Pretoria will make decisions in the interest of South Africa, while still acknowledging the United States as a strategic trading partner. "That's why we continue to engage with them on the trade-related matters on South Africa and matters of mutual interest," she noted.
Speaking on the upcoming G20 Sherpa meeting this month, Ntshavheni said South Africa had indicated its availability to participate.
Ntshavheni stressed that as a founding member of the G20, South Africa's commitment to "multilateralism and cooperation" remains unwavering, adding that countries could achieve prosperity through multilateralism and collaboration.■
