JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - South Africa responded Thursday to a US bar on its participation in G20 events under Washington's presidency by saying it was a fully-fledged member of the forum and expected to be treated equally.
The United States took over this month the presidency of the group of leading economies after largely boycotting South Africa's tenure, including the November summit, in an escalation of a months-long standoff with Pretoria.
In a blistering attack on Wednesday of Pretoria's G20 run, Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeated President Donald Trump's statement a few weeks ago that it would not be invited to G20 events in the coming year, including a summit due in Miami.
Asked about the statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters: "We are yet to receive it in writing and we will deal with that when it comes."
South Africa was "fully fledged member of the G20" and its presidency had been internationally described as successful, he added.
"All we want, really, as South Africa is to be treated as an equal, sovereign country, a country that respects other countries, a country that fosters the success and prosperity of other countries," he said.
The G20 group of nations includes the world's top economies as well as the European Union and the African Union regional blocs. It accounts for 85 percent of the world's GDP and two-thirds of its population.
Rubio said in a Substack post that South Africa's G20 was an exercise in "radical agendas" that ignored US objections.
The "United States will not be extending an invitation to the South African government to participate in the G20 during our presidency," he said.