On February 20, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the opening speech at the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Group of 20 (G20).
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| South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the opening speech at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on February 20. (Source: Independent press) |
Foreign ministers from the G20 leading economies gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, amid geopolitical divisions, tensions over the conflict in Ukraine and the notable absence of a US representative, Al Jazeera news agency reported.
Speaking to diplomats, President Ramaphosa affirmed: "It is important that the principles of the United Nations Charter, multilateralism and international law remain at the heart of all efforts. This must be the glue that holds us together."
Geopolitical tensions, rising intolerance, conflicts, climate change, pandemics and energy and food insecurity threaten the already fragile global coexistence, he said.
In this context, the G20 must continue to support diplomatic solutions to conflicts and it is important to remember that cooperation is the greatest strength. "Let us seek common ground through constructive engagement," he said.
Mr Ramaphosa said this was the first time an African country held the G20 presidency, an opportunity for the continent to "be heard on important global issues, such as sustainable development, the digital economy and the transition to green energy".
South Africa’s priorities during its G20 presidency include finding ways to boost resilience to climate disasters and improve “debt sustainability” for developing countries. It also wants to mobilise finance for a just energy transition, in which countries most responsible for climate change support those least responsible.
“G20 leaders should secure agreement on increasing the quality and quantity of climate finance flows to developing countries,” he stressed. South Africa supports the exploitation of critical minerals for “green industrialization”.
The two-day G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, taking place in Africa for the first time, is expected to address global crises amid rising tensions over conflict and trade disputes.
The meeting is a prelude to the G20 summit in November, which will be attended by top diplomats, including the foreign ministers of Russia, China, India and European envoys.
The US is sending the Deputy Chief of Mission at its embassy in Pretoria to attend the conference. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he would not attend talks between G20 diplomats.
On this issue, President Ramaphosa affirmed that Foreign Minister Rubio's decision was not a "disaster" or a boycott, and believed that the diplomatic process would be able to "smoothly resolve" the problems that have arisen in bilateral relations.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/khai-mac-hoi-nghi-ngoai-truong-g20-tong-thong-nam-phi-nhac-nho-ve-chat-keo-gan-ket-the-gioi-tran-an-viec-thieu-vang-ngoai-truong-my-305079.html
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