📆 On 25 November, the Moscow venue of the Valdai Club hosted a discussion dedicated to the outcomes of the #G20 Summit in Johannesburg (South Africa). Dmitry Birichevsky, Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry, took part in the event.
Key points from his remarks:
• The summit in South Africa was the first-ever G20 summit on the African continent. For the second year now, the African Union has been a full-fledged member of the G20. Our South African colleagues sought to present the country as an informal leader representing the interests of the entire African continent and to draw the world’s attention to the challenges facing Africa.
• Objectively, the global economy is undergoing fragmentation. On the one hand, this is a long-term process that did not start this year but several years ago, and it accelerated in 2022 against the backdrop of the West’s unlawful restrictive measures against Russia. These measures undermined logistics chains, financial payments, and the ability to export goods needed by the world as well as to import goods into Russia.
• Despite the U.S. request to all delegations not to adopt the final declaration — claiming that “there is no consensus if the United States is not participating” — there were essentially no problems with it, and no one paid much attention to these calls.
• Attention to the Ukrainian conflict was effectively diluted this year: the situation in Ukraine was not given a separate paragraph in the declaration, and the crisis was mentioned literally in a single line among others.
#G20SouthAfrica
📆 On 25 November, the Moscow venue of the Valdai Club hosted a discussion dedicated to the outcomes of the #G20 Summit in Johannesburg (South Africa). Dmitry Birichevsky, Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry, took part in the event.
Key points from his remarks:
• The summit in South Africa was the first-ever G20 summit on the African continent. For the second year now, the African Union has been a full-fledged member of the G20. Our South African colleagues sought to present the country as an informal leader representing the interests of the entire African continent and to draw the world’s attention to the challenges facing Africa.
• Objectively, the global economy is undergoing fragmentation. On the one hand, this is a long-term process that did not start this year but several years ago, and it accelerated in 2022 against the backdrop of the West’s unlawful restrictive measures against Russia. These measures undermined logistics chains, financial payments, and the ability to export goods needed by the world as well as to import goods into Russia.
• Despite the U.S. request to all delegations not to adopt the final declaration — claiming that “there is no consensus if the United States is not participating” — there were essentially no problems with it, and no one paid much attention to these calls.
• Attention to the Ukrainian conflict was effectively diluted this year: the situation in Ukraine was not given a separate paragraph in the declaration, and the crisis was mentioned literally in a single line among others.
#G20SouthAfrica
🎙 Russian #G20 Sherpa Svetlana Lukash spoke to Ubuntu Radio on the sidelinens of the Third Sherpa Meeting in Sun City Resort (June 26, 2025)
❓What are Russia's key priorities for the G20 agenda, and how do you see the group addressing the current global economic challenges?
💬Svetlana Lukash: We think that South African priorities are very well placed to also achieve the goals set by the Russian Federation in the G20. That is promotion of inclusive global growth. That is job creation. That is development of artificial intelligence, and approaches to governing artificial intelligence. That is issues of critical minerals, which are important for strengthening both South African and Russian economies. And overall, that is the issue of the change in the system of global governance.
☝️ It's time to really make global governance institutions work in the interests of emerging and developing economies, in the interests of the Global South. And that's what we will put on the table as our main priorities and, as I said, those go fully in line with the South African presidency's topics.
❓In light of the current global issues, how does Russia see the G20 contributing to the promotion of multilateralism and strengthening international relations?
💬Svetlana Lukash: I think just having the presidency in Africa for the first time, and putting the interests of Africa and of the Global South at the top of the G20 agenda, already gives the strongest signal to the world community that the time has changed.
Besides, South Africa invited many stakeholders, many countries, many partners, many guest countries to enrich our dialogue. So G20 should not be just a closed format, where only 20 economics discuss the topics that are important for the whole world. What the South African presidency did is that it helped to open G20, first in the interests of the rest of the world — of the global majority. And second, to be as transparent and as open as possible to African neighbors. So that is amazing. So I really praise what the presidency is doing this year.
❓How does Russia envision the G20 promoting global economic cooperation, particularly in areas such as trade, energy, and finance?
💬Svetlana Lukash: Well, a difficult question, taking into account the current geoeconomic fragmentation of the global economy, geopolitical tensions, and the spiral of sanctions and tariff wars. And in this situation, what G20 can do is really continue cooperation. And despite all the controversial views and interests, still try to address these issues — still try not to silence that sanctions are in place, and they disturb global energy and food markets.
We really need more inclusive global institutions, like, for instance, the WTO — the World Trade Organization — which needs to work in the interest of development, and which needs to address issues it was invented for. And I think the G20, under the leadership of the South African presidency, is moving in this direction.
We will see by November whether we can overcome all the current difficulties, all the current geopolitical tensions, to focus on the mandate of the G20 — on economic cooperation and preventing and dealing with possible financial crises. So, let's see. But we are very optimistic about that, because we have very good leaders this year.
#G20SouthAfrica
❗️On June 25, the third #G20 Sherpa Meeting kicked off in Sun City, South Africa.
The Russian delegation is led by Svetlana Lukash, Russia’s G20 Sherpa, Deputy Head of the Presidential Expert Directorate of the Russian Federation.
On the first day of the event, an assessment was given to the G20’s contribution to the global development agenda and the promotion of equitable global governance.
It was noted that the global economy is facing serious challenges overcoming of which requires multilateral cooperation. Such efforts should be implemented with the UN playing the central role, as well as backed by the WTO as a universal trade regulator.
As part of the meeting, the participants have begun the work to agree on the draft leadership declaration. Its final version will be adopted at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on November 22-23, 2025.
#G20SouthAfrica
🎙️ Interview with Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Aleksandr Pankin for TASS (July 26, 2025)
Key Points
• Russia is committed to eliminating global inequality, aiming to ensure that African and other developing countries not only gain equal access to resources and financing, but also actively participate in the governance of various international institutions, including economic ones — so that their voices are heard.
• Under the prevailing neocolonial practices of the West toward Africa, stable development and social progress on the continent are unattainable. This calls for a fundamental transformation of the global order and the democratization of international relations. African nations recognize and support Russia’s policy aimed at these objectives.
• A paradoxical situation exists: the volume of capital flowing into African countries is effectively matched by capital outflows. In essence, this reflects the ongoing exploitation of Africa, particularly its natural resources, from which the local populations and governments receive minimal benefit.
• Within the G20 framework, Russia and South Africa maintain strong coordination and mutual support. South Africa plays a constructive role in ensuring that the G20 remains a non-confrontational platform, enabling dialogue and consensus-building among all member states wherever possible.
• The #BRICS agenda holds global relevance, and its countries also participate in the #G20. However, BRICS tends to offer more effective solutions due to the shared vision among its members. In contrast, the G20 faces challenges stemming from the divide between Western and developing nations, making compromise more difficult to achieve.
#G20SouthAfrica
🗓 Russia is taking part in the #G20 Education Working Group Ministerial Meeting in Skukuza, South Africa.
On the sidelines of the event, Head of the Russian delegation, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia Airat Gatiyatov, held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Higher Education and Training of the Republic of South Africa, Buti Kgwaridi Manamela.
Airat Gatiyatov emphasized that developing educational cooperation with South Africa is one of the priorities of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
“We see great potential in expanding joint master’s programs, scientific research, and increasing the number of South African students studying at Russian universities. I am confident that a systematic and mutually beneficial dialogue will contribute to the further strengthening of friendly relations between our countries,” noted the Deputy Minister.
Key outcomes of the talks:
• Interest among South African students in studying in Russia remains consistently high, especially in engineering fields such as nuclear energy, IT, and mechanical engineering.
• The parties agreed to develop joint master’s and PhD programs with the participation of academic supervisors from both countries.
• Starting November 5, 2025, a Russian language course will be launched at the University of South Africa (#UNISA). The program will be coordinated by the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) and Tyumen State University.
• To ensure the systematic development of cooperation, the parties proposed holding the next meeting of the Joint Working Group on Education in 2026 in Russia.
#G20SouthAfrica
🎙Address by Aleksandr Pankin at G20 Development Working Group Ministerial Meeting on illicit financial flows (IFFs) and social protection
📍Skukuza, July 25, 2025
💬Aleksandr Pankin: We extend our gratitude to South African friends for a well-thought choice of topical issues. Illicit financial flows and social protection represent major present-day challenges.
As part of the implementation of the #SDGs we promised to focus the efforts on human needs, “make sure nobody is left behind”. A task was set to eradicate the inequality in development level between the countries. In this context, partnership between the donors and recipients and the reform of world economic institutions in favour of developing states are in our focus.
We acknowledge with regret that strategic targets have not been implemented into practical results. Certain positive developments of recent years, by that I mean the rise of the multipolar world and emergence of new centres of growth such as #BRICS, faced the confrontational position from the West.
Dominating elites leave fair economic competition in the past. Instead world’s economic system turns into an arena for confrontation, blackmailing, dictate and political pressure. <...>
Achieving SDGs benchmarks by 2030 apparently stumbles, progress forecasts are most discouraging. African countries are among the most vulnerable. Former colonizers are trying to restore their dominance on the continent with new methods – through deepening dependence on donor aid and enslaving loans.
The volumes of so-called “aid” that reach the states in need are significantly lower than the losses caused by illicit financial flows (IFF). According to UNCTAD, in Africa the IFFs reach 50-90 billion USD yearly, while donor funding is no more than 60-65 billion USD. <...>
☝️We consider combatting the IFFs as key element of world economic stability. <...>
The IFFs can only be successfully countered through fair and open international cooperation, including in the areas of taxation and anti-corruption. A particular impetus should be given to the retrieval of assets.
❌ However, the West is persistently politicizing relevant multilateral formats, thus undermining cooperation. Biased anti-Russian steps of suspending Russia’s membership in FATF and Egmont Group disrupted the integrity of global network of combatting the money laundering and rendered a number of international financial investigations impossible. The EU is ready for plain pillage – seizing foreign sovereign financial assets frozen in their jurisdiction.
The world majority needs to bolster its financial independence, establish control over capital circulation by reducing the dependence on unreliable Westcentric financial architecture.
Promising initiatives are being discussed in BRICS, including those on cross-border payments and joint depository, payment and clearing infrastructure (BRICS Clear). We shall continue to strengthen the sovereignty of Global South in all aspects. <...>
Due to lack of a system of equal access to benefits, dependence of Global South on Western donor aid is increasing, while the volumes of external assistance are dwindling – they are reallocated for military spending, under the pretext of imagined threats, and for fuelling the conflicts. This is also the case for international development banks: while during the pandemic the World Bank allocated 12.5 billion USD as emergency funds for social welfare, at the same time, since February 2022, it granted astronomical 81 billion USD to Ukraine.
❗️Development aid must be depoliticized, predictable and based on national priorities of the recipients. Setting out various pre-conditions for recipients of funds, including questionable climate and gender aims, is unacceptable. Social protection is a long-term investment into the future.
🇷🇺 Russia is ready to share with all partners its expertise in building the national social welfare system and mobilizing tax revenues, including advanced digital solutions.
Read in full
#G20SouthAfrica
🎙️ Marat #Berdyev, Russia’s #G20 Sous-Sherpa:
“The G20 sherpas have concluded their negotiation work.
The text of the Summit’s final document has been finalized.
The agreements reached are to be approved by the G20 Heads of Delegation during the Leaders Summit in Johannesburg on November 22–23.”
#G20SouthAfrica
🇿🇦 This year’s opening meeting of the #G20 Foreign Ministers as part of the debut presidency of South Africa – a friendly country whose stance is in accord with #Russia’s – will take place in Johannesburg on February 20-21, a landmark event not only for Pretoria, but also for the entire African continent, which will host G20 events for the first time.
🇷🇺 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plans to lead the Russian delegation. It is expected that most of the members of this major economic forum, as well as a wide range of invited states and international organisations, will be represented at a similar level.
☝️ The meeting will open with an address by President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, which will set the general tone for discussing global challenges and threats. The discussion will particularly focus on the international situation, which is alarmingly deteriorating under the impact of the confrontational policy by the neoliberal Western elites.
The participants will consider the current integrity and effective functioning of the global economic system. The priorities stated by the South African presidency are designed to encourage economic growth, reduce inequality and imbalances, and ensure equitable access to financing for countries in the Global South.
🤝 The South African presidency theme highlighting “solidarity, equality and sustainability” will provide solid framework for the consultations, essentially continuing in the same vein as its predecessors in 2022-2024 – Indonesia, India and Brazil, all of them Global Majority countries. In particular, this refers to the G20’s significant contribution during this period to strengthening the foundations of the multipolar world and making global economic institutions more democratic in the interests of new non-Western centres of influence, primarily the expanded #BRICS group.
❗️The upcoming anniversaries, such as the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II and the foundation of the #UN, as well as the 65th anniversary of the Russia-sponsored Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples adopted by the UN General Assembly to ensure Africa’s independence, should be seen as key benchmarks for the exchange of views.
👉 In his remarks, the Minister will provide a detailed analysis of the international situation underscoring the root causes of the current crisis, and outline specific steps to overcome the destructive phenomena. The Russian side will reaffirm its stance in favour of preserving the United Nations’ central role in global affairs. We will speak in support of strict compliance with the principles of the UN Charter in their entirety and interconnection.
We will insist that there is no alternative to respectful interstate cooperation and ensuring equal and indivisible security for all. We will call for keeping the global economy open, rejecting trade wars, illegitimate sanctions and other unfair competition practices. We will cite examples of supranational associations that practice honest and productive cooperation without diktat or blackmail, such as the #EAEU, the #SCO and #BRICS. We will share the details of implementing the Russia-sponsored Greater Eurasian Partnership initiative.
The Minister is expected to meet with several counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting.
#G20SouthAfrica#BetterAfricaBetterWorld#solidarity#equality#sustainability