S.African President will attend G7 meeting in UK

Johannesburg, June 8 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed his attendance at the G7 Leaders Meeting scheduled for June 11-13 in the UK.

South Africa was invited to attend the gathering after the country, which chaired the African Union in 2020, played a crucial role in the continent's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Xinhua news agency quoted Ramaphosa as saying in a statement on Monday.

He said free and fair trade; the global recovery from the pandemic; and climate change would be discussed at the meeting.

Ramaphosa said the platform is an opportunity to deal with the issue of vaccines and to ensure that intellectual property rights are waved.

He said South Africa would talk about the progress the country has made in terms of recovery since the coronavirus hit.

"I will be presenting the clear signals that our country is emerging from the devastation wrought by the pandemic," he said.

"These gatherings also give us an opportunity to promote our continent as a destination for investment."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host the G7 leaders at the summit in Cornwall in South West England from June 11-13.

The G7 includes the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.

The UK holds the G7 presidency this year.