South Africa Ramaphosa hails Modi at G20 Summit; Focus on global cooperation
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrived for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg.
They held productive discussions on key global issues.
Modi expressed his enthusiasm for the summit, stated “Look forward to productive discussions with world leaders on key global issues. Our focus will be on strengthening cooperation, advancing development priorities and ensuring a better future for all.”
The themed “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” is being held with a focus on issues like disaster resilience, debt sustainability, energy transition, and critical minerals.
The G20 South Africa also had its ‘Melodi moment’ as Modi met Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.
They were seen interacting with each other on the sidelines of the Summit.
Ramaphosa, in his opening remarks, noted that it was the first time the G20 Summit is being held on African soil.
“We gather here at the cradle of humanity in Africa to affirm our common humanity. We gather here to affirm the value of partnership and cooperation, and to find common solutions to shared problems…,” he said.
Ramphosa said that G20 is now engaged on matters such as trade, sustainable development, health, education, science and technology, agriculture, energy, the environment, climate change and many others.
“It has therefore broadened its scope as the challenges of the peoples of the world require that they should be addressed…,” he stated.
He said that South Africa has soght to esnure that the development priorities of the Global South and the African continent find expression firmly and permanently on the agenda of the G20.
“This is important for the people of Africa and the Global South,” he stressed.
US President Donald Trump has boycotted the G20 Summit 2025 over alleged persecution of white people in South Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping have also skipped the summit.
