Trump's boycott will not impact G20 summit: SA envoy to India Sooklal
The South African High Commission in partnership with the Centre for Global Insights held a session on G20 @ 20. It was moderated by Manish Chand, the CEO of GCII, with the participation of the Ambassador of Brazil Mr K Nobrega; High Commissioner of Australia, Mr P Green; the High Commissioner of South Africa, Professor Anil Sooklal; Ambassador S Hakki, India's G20 Sous Sherpa; and Mr VS Sahney MP Rajya Sabha.
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SOUTH African High Commissioner to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, has been under the media spotlight in Delhi during the past week, discussing the G20 Summit being held on African soil for the first time, under South Africa’s presidency with the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”.
The G230 Summit from November 22 to 23 - arguably South Africa’s most important international event since the 2010 FIFA World Cup - will see world leaders and tens of thousands of delegates head to Johannesburg, giving Africa a stronger voice in shaping global economic and political priorities.
Sooklal emphasised the importance of India's participation in the summit, highlighting the strong bilateral ties and shared goals between the two nations. He also addressed President Trump's criticism of South Africa hosting the summit and his unfounded allegations about the treatment of Afrikaners.
Commenting on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence at the Summit, Sooklal said: “Prime Minister Modi, is a very influential global leader, and India is a very important and powerful country. The presence of Modiji at the Summit signifies solidarity with South Africa. Prime Minister Modi’s participation is critical for the success of the summit. We have worked closely with India during India's presidency of the summit, and India has worked closely with South Africa during our tenure over these past almost 12 months.
“In all of the ministerial meetings and the major groupings that have met, India has been very supportive of South Africa's priorities. And as countries of the Global South, we have a common vision of what we would like to see emanate as substantive outcomes from the G20 Summit."
In regard to Trump’s decision to boycott the summit over widely rejected claims of persecution of Afrikaners and South Africa’s push for Israel’s accountability over the genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, Sooklal said it was unfortunate that Trump would not be attending.
“The G20 is a collective of 19 countries and two regional organisations. Since its inception in 2008 in Washington, the USA has played an important and pivotal role in the G20 becoming the global force that it is today. It's unfortunate that President Trump has decided not to be at the table because by exchanging views and talking about issues, our common challenges can be addressed as a collective.
“However, even if the US does not attend, the G20 is too big to fail. There will still be 18 other countries out of the 19 that make up the grouping, around the table. We may face challenges, but I firmly believe the G20 remains a powerful force - the only platform, given the weaknesses of the global multilateral system, that bridges the North and South."
On the allegation by Trump that Afrikaners are being slaughtered and their farms being illegally confiscated, Sooklal said these were unfounded allegations and thus, it was important for Trump to have visited South Africa and see for himself whether these claims of atrocity are true.
“South Africa is a responsible member of the global community. We are a vibrant democracy. The rule of law is entrenched in South Africa. As the largest economy on the African continent, South Africa is a responsible member not only of the African continent, but of the global community. The fact that we sit in the G20 as the only African country is because the global community has recognised the value that South Africa brings to the G20, not just in its capacity as South Africa, but as a country that is highly regarded within the African continent, within the Global South, and I would say internationally as well by our partners in the Global North."
He said Prime Minister Modi’s fourth visit to South Africa during the G20 Summit would boost bilateral trade, which already stands at almost $18 billion this financial year.
“When Prime Minister Modi is in South Africa, he's not only attending the G20 summit but will also attend the India-Brazil-South Africa summit. One of the major focus areas will be deepening economic interaction between India and South Africa. We have seen a sharp rise in our trade between our two countries, but the potential to grow this is vast.
“India regards Africa as an important partner and South Africa is the most important trading partner on the African continent. We are going to see significant investments on both sides.
“We have about 150 Indian companies in South Africa, and we have just over 20 South African companies in India. There have been requests from major multinationals to have interaction with Prime Minister Modi when he is in South Africa.
“So we firmly believe that trade between our two countries and investment is on a good sound footing and it will continue to grow significantly,” said Sooklal.