In South Africa’s Johannesburg, the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting has ended. Following the meeting, Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, which chairs the association, held a press conference.

He assured that all opinions expressed at the meeting will be taken into account by the South African leadership in preparation for the G20 summit. According to him, at the meeting, the parties emphasised the need to reform the institutions of global governance.

“We also look forward to the active participation and contributions of all delegations throughout the other meetings […], reaffirm the role of the G20 as a premier forum for international economy cooperation, and underscore the collective responsibility of the G20 for the effective stewardship of the global economy, fostering the conditions for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive global growth as a critical element of a broader multilateral system”

Ronald Lamola South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also held a press conference at the end of the two-day meeting. He noted that South Africa, which led the G20 this year, completes the cycle of BRICS presidencies in the association, which began with Indonesia in 2022 and continued with India and Brazil in 2023 and 2024.

“This successive BRICS tenure at the helm of the G20 has certainly produced a positive outcome that has strengthened the position of the Global South in the G20. All this contributes to the establishment of a fairer multipolar world order based on the sovereign equality of states”

Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Minister

The Russian Minister recalled that the African Union became a member of the G20 in 2023, while the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) are currently interested in obtaining this status. He stressed that Russia welcomed this attitude and did not rule out that the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) could apply for a place in the G20 in the future.

Lavrov expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the ministerial meeting, stressing that the G20 countries managed to set a positive vector for further interaction and increase attention to the issues of the African continent and the Global South.

The two-day meeting was also attended by foreign ministers from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Egypt, the UAE, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and other countries. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira expressed appreciation to the South African leadership for prioritising the G20 Presidency with the UN Sustainable Development Goals in mind.

“As part of the G20 Troika and a fellow developing country, Brazil fully supports South Africa’s presidency and looks forward to working together towards turning this year’s discussions into concrete results”

Mauro Vieira Brazilian Foreign Minister

For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the G20 member states to listen to Africa’s voice and make every effort for the continent’s prosperity. He said G20 nations should work together to ensure world peace and multipolarity. 

The culmination of South Africa’s presidency in the G20 will be the summit of leaders of the association, which will be held in November 2025 in Johannesburg.

Photo:
Russian Foreign Ministry