France on Thursday rejected claims that it had withdrawn an invitation for South Africa to attend a G7 summit later this year under pressure from the United States.
Earlier, the South African presidency told AFP that Washington had urged Paris to disinvite President Cyril Ramaphosa from the G7 meeting scheduled in France in June.
However, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot clarified that Kenya, not South Africa, had been invited to the summit in the French town of Evian.
“We did not give in to any pressure,” Barrot said on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers meeting in France. “We made a choice consistent with our decision to hold a streamlined G7 focused on geo-economic issues.”
He declined to comment on whether South Africa had previously received an invitation, but emphasized France’s ongoing respect for the country’s role in international affairs.
“We have always counted on South Africa and we respect the important role it plays in international affairs,” Barrot added. “We remain in close contact with South Africa, a key partner of France on all major global issues.”
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