German Foreign Minister Criticizes Trump's Exclusion of South Africa from G20 Summit

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he would exclude South Africa from the next G20 summit in Miami, saying it would be "in no one’s interest."

Speaking to students at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Wadephul described South Africa as "an indispensable member of the G20," whose importance had been underlined by last year's G20 summit in that same city.

"To exclude South Africa means sidelining an important African voice and a regional economic and political powerhouse," the minister said, adding: "Particularly at a time of growing global economic uncertainty, we need more cooperation, not less."

The U.S. president announced in a social media post last November that South Africa would not be invited to the next G20 meeting.

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola also slammed Trump's decision during a joint press conference with Wadephul. "No country can decide on its own to disinvite a founding member of the G20", he said. Other members attending the summit in Miami should put this member on the table: "There must be a discussion … Can you still call it a G20, when a founding member is excluded?", Lamola said.

Wadephul also emphasized his interest in fostering closer relations with South Africa, despite disagreements on key geopolitical questions like Russia's war in Ukraine, the Gaza conflict or China. As a BRICS member, South Africa holds traditionally close relations to Moscow and Beijing.

"In some disputed matters we can agree to disagree", he said. "And at the same time keep on working together. What matters is that we are committed to the same international principles."

Wadephul said at that press conference that he was "confident that this hiatus will not be permanent, but that South Africa will be able to participate again as a full member of the G20 next year."

Wadephul also argued that Russia "continues to pose an existential security threat to us," which was made evident by Russia's Iskander ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad, which "would take only a matter of minutes to reach Berlin."

On China, he said that both countries should work more closely together as they were both "too dependent on supply chains coming from one country. We’re too dependent on one country as being the most important market."