Russian Consulate in Cape Town

🇷🇺🛬 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in Johannesburg to take part in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting #G20

🇿🇦 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

⚠️ Media accreditation is now open for the #G20 Finance Track Meetings to be held in February. For more information on South Africa's G20 Presidency, please visit the official website. 📩 For enquiries, email: [email protected] and [email protected] #G20#FinanceTrackMeeting

🇿🇦SA hosts G20 Framework Working Group meeting Tuesday, January 14, 2025 Technical meetings under the Group of 20 (G20) Finance Track have begun this week with a meeting of the Framework Working Group (FWG). This after South Africa kicked off its G20 Presidency with the hosting of the G20 Sherpa and Finance Track Meetings in December 2024. “The National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank are jointly responsible for overseeing the work of the G20 Finance Track. “The mandate of the FWG is to promote strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth, and does so by identifying, monitoring and assessing global macroeconomic risks, vulnerabilities and uncertainties and recommending suitable policy responses to global shocks and cross-cutting global challenges,” National Treasury said in a statement. The G20 is a grouping of developed and developing countries which together form a powerful bloc representing at least 85% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product and some 75% of international trade – making the FWG critical. The first day of the meeting on the main headwinds to global growth, ongoing supply and demand risks to inflation, and the main fiscal risks to growth and inflation. It will also discuss the economic outlook for Africa. South Africa’s outlined priorities include: • enhancing global economic resilience in light of growth risks like fragmentation and macroeconomic imbalances; • strengthening macroeconomic foundations and growth reforms in light of climate change and • assessing labour productivity, technological development and demographic change This week’s FWG meeting is the first of four to be held. “The remaining three meetings for this Working Group are scheduled for April, June and September, in person, in venues across the country. “The outcomes of these meetings will inform discussions at the meetings of the Finance and Central Bank Deputies and Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors,” the statement concluded. The G20 Leaders’ Summit is expected to be held in the latter half of 2025. – SAnews.gov.za #RussianMFA#RussiaSouthAfrica#G20

🎙️Interview by the Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, D.A. Birichevsky, to Russia Today Question: The #G20 remains one of the key platforms for Russian economic diplomacy. Are the results of the #G20’s work in 2024 positive for Russia? What are the priorities for our work in this forum moving forward? Answer: The past year has been highly productive for the #G20. As a result of Brazil’s presidency, the forum has solidified its position as the leading platform for equal dialogue between the key economies of the Global South and North on global economic issues. The final declaration of the summit in Rio de Janeiro (November 18-19) provided sound assessments of the processes affecting economic growth rates, focusing on overcoming inequality and addressing the challenges faced by developing countries in ensuring their energy and food security. 🇷🇺For Russia, it is important that the agreements reached by the leaders reflect key principles for us, including the use of all available effective technologies (technologically neutral approaches) in the context of low-carbon development and the enhancement of the voice and representation of developing countries in multilateral financial institutions. Among the strongest supporters of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, initiated by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, were 82 countries, 24 international organizations, 9 financial institutions, and more than 30 non-governmental organizations. Russia also contributed its experience and best practices in implementing school meal programs and supporting small farming enterprises. 🇿🇦We are prepared for productive work this year with another BRICS partner, South Africa. From December 9-11, Johannesburg hosted the first #G20 Sherpas meeting under South Africa’s incoming presidency. We supported the priorities for the #G20 in 2025 as outlined by our partners. The focus on building disaster resilience, addressing debt sustainability, ensuring fair energy transitions, and securing critical raw materials will guide our ministries within the #G20’s 15 Sherpa working groups and 8 groups under the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Russia. ✊Russia fully shares South Africa’s desire to enhance the forum’s agenda by focusing on social justice and consolidating the Global Majority’s efforts to promote shared interests. We aim to actively participate in the proposed target groups on inclusive economic growth, food security, and artificial intelligence. On our part, we will continue to work towards aligning approaches to ensure stable growth, restore the proper functioning of agricultural markets, and eliminate unilateral illegitimate barriers in the trade of food and fertilizers. 🏁As the South African presidency concludes the series of rotations of developing countries (previously Indonesia, India, Brazil) and marks the end of the first round of rotational presidencies for all #G20 members, Russia is determined to contribute to the review of the forum’s work, solidifying the achievements of the Global South and laying a strong foundation for the future. #RussianMFA#G20#RussiaSouthAfrica

The Group of Twenty under South Africa's presidency is starting an intensive work process An ambitious schedule of ministerial meetings has been set focusing on the following areas: 🟢 Development (July 24-25, Kruger National Park) 🟢 Employment (July 25-26, Gqeberha) 🟢 Tourism (September 12, Mpumalanga) 🟢 Agriculture (September 18, Free State) 🟢 Research and Innovation (September 23, Maropeng) 🟢 Digital Economy (September 25-26, Cape Town) 🟢 Energy Transitions (September 26, Sun City) 🟢 Climate and Environmental Protection (October 9, Kirstenbosch) 🟢 Trade and Investment (October 10, Gqeberha) 🟢 Disaster Risk Reduction (October 13, Polokwane) 🟢 Women’s Empowerment (October 24, Sandton) 🟢 Culture (October 29, KwaZulu-Natal) 🟢 Anti-Corruption (October 30, Kruger National Park) 🟢 Education (November 4, Mbombela) 🟢 Healthcare (November 6, Polokwane) 🟢 Healthcare Financing (November 7, videoconference) Efforts will be coordinated through four consultations and regular interaction among Sherpas, who will define strategic approaches to this comprehensive agenda. In a similar conference format Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors will address matters concerning the stable functioning of international relations. The political dialogue will begin with a meeting of Foreign Ministers on February 20-21 in Johannesburg, continuing during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in September. The #G20 Summit of Heads of State and Government in Johannesburg on November 22-23 will serve as the grand conclusion of the forum's activities in 2025. #G20#RussiaSouthAfrica#RussianMFA

🇷🇺Russia’s Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large for the G20, APEC and BEP issues Marat Berdyev: Russia’s participation in key multilateral forums such as the #G20 and #APEC contributes to the accelerated formation of a multipolar world order and economic system. 📈In terms of aggregate GDP, the BRICS members have already surpassed the G7, with their share standing at 37%, compared to less than 30% for the G7. According to some expert estimates, the countries of the Global Majority will drive up to 75% of global economic growth over the next few decades. Russia plays a significant role in this positive trend of fair optimization of production potentials. 🤝We continue to actively develop international economic cooperation, focusing on friendly regions. According to the Federal Customs Service (FCS), Russia's external trade volume in 2024 is expected to reach $700 billion. Approximately 70% of export-import operations already involve the Asia-Pacific Region (#APR). 🌍Trade with Africa has been expanding, reaching a peak of $25 billion in 2023. The Russian economy grew by about 4% in 2024, demonstrating resilient performance. This growth occurred against the backdrop of more modest global averages, limited to 3.1%, and stagnation in many European countries. 🌾Russian companies are playing an increasingly significant role not only in supplying critical energy and food resources but also in high-tech sectors and manufacturing industries. We are intensifying transactions in national currencies, particularly the Russian ruble, which accounts for 80-90% of trade with key partners such as China and the EAEU. Under the initiative of President Vladimir Putin, the Big Eurasian Partnership (#BEP) is building a transit framework centered on Russian territory. Transit capacity is expanding, and the utilization of the "West-East" and "North-South" transport corridors is increasing, along with the operation of the Northern Sea Route (#NSR). 🚢In the past year, the NSR handled a record volume of over 37 million tons of commercial cargo. At the #G20 and #APEC significant momentum has been given to the reform of global economic institutions in the interests of the Global South/East. 📈Constructive approaches have been adopted, aiming to preserve an open trade and investment environment, form energy balances on a technologically neutral basis, and support digital transformation. ❗️We will continue to move forward with partners in this promising direction at multilateral economic diplomacy platforms. Photo: www.rosstip.ru #G20#APEC#RussianMFA

🇷🇺Russia's Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large for the G20, APEC and BEP issues Marat Berdyev: Russia is actively fostering foreign trade and economic relations. 🤝 In the first nine months of 2024, Russia's trade turnover with foreign partners amounted to 584 billion dollars. We traditionally preserved surplus in export-import transactions. Russia developed the most intense commercial ties with the friendly nations: China🇨🇳, India🇮🇳, Türkiye🇹🇷, Belarus🇧🇾, and Kazakhstan🇰🇿 are in the top five. We enhance close cooperation with the Global South/East nations within the framework of the key multilateral formats, the #G20, #APEC in particular, and also with the promising participants of the Greater Eurasian Partnership (#GEP) flagship initiative. Together we are seeking the creation of fair markets, supply chains and global institutions that meet the interests of the Global Majority.

📍The first Sherpa meeting of the G20 under the presidency of South Africa took place in Johannesburg from December 9 to 11 🇷🇺The Russian delegation was headed by Russia's Sherpa, S.V. Lukash. The G20 discussions were focused on: - Conditions for ensuring stable and inclusive economic growth, with an emphasis on the importance of open and unobstructed trade; - Fluctuations in global food prices, with particular attention to the irresponsible macroeconomic decisions made by developed countries, as well as the search for optimal steps for developing nations in this context; - Facilitating access to low-interest loans for developing countries, including the possibility of revising the methodologies of credit rating agencies to support this goal; - Measures to accelerate digitalization and approaches to regulating artificial intelligence (AI); - The state of the current global economic governance architecture. During the discussions and interactions with partners the Russian delegation: ☑️ Supported the focus of the presidency on addressing accumulated imbalances in the global economy; ☑️ Advocated for the critical importance of unobstructed trade for development and global food security; ☑️ Emphasized the need to utilize all effective technologies in the energy sector; ☑️ Stressed the primacy of interstate cooperation in the ICT field, including the regulation of AI. 🤝A joint meeting of the Sherpas and representatives of the G20 finance ministries and central banks also took place. 🇿🇦The discussions focused on finding sources of financing for the ambitious initiatives were proposed by South Africa. The UN Secretary-General, A. Guterres, addressed the participants. 🗓️Ahead lies a busy calendar with 131 events across 15 working groups and three initiatives led by South African partners. #RussiaSouthAfrica#G20#RussianMFA

🌍 Today in Johannesburg the first round of consultations among #G20Sherpas under the South Africa’s Presidency has started. 🇷🇺 The Russian delegation, led by S.V. Lukash, is actively promoting Russia's key approaches to challenges in the global economy and finance. 📢 The focus of the discussions will be on a range of priority issues for the Global Majority: 📈 inclusive economic growth, industrialization, employment, and the fight against inequality; 🌽 food security; 🤖 artificial intelligence and innovation for sustainable development. 🧮 During the event, preparations will be launched for a review of the G20’s activities over the past two decades of the organisations existence. 💰 A joint meeting with deputy finance ministers and central bank governors from the G20 is also expected this week. 💪 Russian Sherpa S.V. Lukash is working closely with his colleagues, participating in a coordination meeting with representatives of emerging economies. #G20#RussiaSouthAfrica#RussianMFA

⚡️Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming participation in the G20 Summit On November 18-19, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will host the #G20 Leaders’ Summit. The Russian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the instruction of the head of state. A majority of the G20 member states’ leaders are expected to take part. Brasilia regards the G20 as a core element of the polycentric system of international economic relations, distinguished by an effective decision-making mechanism due to its optimal number of members as well as the principle of consensus. The theme of Brazil’s first ever presidency of the forum is “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet.” At the summit, the partners expect to reach consensus agreements, with the process viewed through the prism of the country’s international prestige. A leadership declaration (a non-signature document approved in the absence of objections from the parties) is expected to be the summit’s major practical outcome. <...> Russia has been actively engaged in developing and coordinating the organisational and substantive aspects of the Brazilian project, having already added advanced domestic solutions on food security and poverty eradication into the database. The summit in Rio de Janeiro will open with the launch ceremony of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. Russia’s planned official connection to this platform will give it another opportunity to raise issues relevant to the global majority at the international level, in particular, counteracting illegal unilateral sanctions and promoting domestic experience. <...> Russia plays a prominent role in the G20, efficiently influencing the course and direction of negotiations, as well as the content of agreements. Moscow views the platform as an essential forum for global economic governance. The G20 is extensively used to promote Russia’s ideas on the importance of building an open and non-discriminatory global economy, and abandoning unilateral restrictive measures, trade wars and protectionism. Efforts are taken to draw attention to the long-overdue reform of the global governance architecture to benefit emerging markets, with the focus on ending the dominance of Western powers in international financial, economic and trade institutions, de-dollarisation, and increasing the share of settlements in national currencies. <...> Russia has consistently advocated theessential need to depoliticise the G20, which should focus on its direct responsibilities to encourage economic growth and sustainable development. The opponents’ attempts to bring peace and security issues beyond the group’s authority to the G20 agenda are counterproductive; this destructive policy hinders progress in core areas and causes increased division between the members. ❗️Russia views its priority in the G20 as achieving constructive agreements in the forum that consider all member nations’ interests based on consensus. Moscow seeks a proper and balanced understanding of sustainable development goals with due account of the states’ national interests, takes efforts to effectively use the G20 to promote the democratisation of international financial and economic structures, particularly, the #IMF, #WorldBank and #WTO, and makes steps to diversify mutual settlement mechanisms and build independent trans-border supply chains. Read in full

🗓 On September 11, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovmet with a prominent South African public and political figure, former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Lindiwe Sisula, who is visiting Moscow to participate in the ceremony to award the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize, as a jury member. 🤝 The discussion focused on current issues pertaining to further strengthening the traditionally friendly relations between Russia and South Africa, including the development of inter-party and inter-parliamentary ties and building up mutually beneficial trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation, as well as opportunities for deepening foreign policy coordination within #BRICS, the #G20 and the United Nations.