South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to address the official opening of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg.
More than 30 countries will be represented in the two-day summit, starting on Thursday. It will take place in the Nasrec Expo Centre under South Africa’s G20 presidency, which will focus on the theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.”
Previously, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he will not attend the meeting in Johannesburg, as Washington has stopped aid to South Africa over a new land appropriation law as well as dragging Israel to the International Court of Justice over its genocidal war on Gaza.
According to SABC, the US will be represented by its diplomatic mission in Pretoria.
Palestine recognition
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola held bilateral talks with Norwegian, Dutch and Brazilian counterparts, Espen Barth Eide, Caspar Veldkamp and Mauro Vieira, as well as UN deputy chief Amina Mohammed on the sidelines of the foreign ministers’ meeting.
“There is only one lasting solution that I know could work, and that is to get a free Palestine, that we have a two-state solution where Palestine gets universally recognized and also assisted in becoming a state for real,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told local broadcaster SABC.
He highlighted that “Palestine has to include Gaza, the West Bank and the relevant parts of Jerusalem.”
“What we have now is a very temporary ceasefire. There is no guarantee that ceasefire will lead to lasting peace in the Middle East… So, we need to use this unique momentum to drive forward towards Palestinian state,” Eide added.
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