South African President, Canadian PM Forge Stronger Collaboration
(MENAFN) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday in Alberta, just before the official kickoff of the G7 leaders’ summit. The meeting underscored efforts to deepen collaboration between the two nations across a range of critical sectors.
According to a statement from Carney’s office, the leaders emphasized their countries’ “strong and growing” partnership. Key points of discussion included enhanced cooperation on wildfire management, advancements in technology, and boosting trade and investment channels.
Both Carney and Ramaphosa currently chair influential global forums—Canada helms the G7 while South Africa leads the G20. In this context, the two discussed aligning their agendas around shared global priorities such as energy security, AI development, climate resilience, and securing access to critical minerals.
Carney took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the importance of collaboration Saying that Canada and South Africa are “leading in the face of similar challenges and opportunities,” Carney said on X.he wrote. “With the rules-based system under threat, international cooperation is more important than ever.”
Their meeting comes amid evolving diplomatic dynamics shaped by U.S. President Donald Trump’s confrontational foreign policy. Relations between the U.S. and both Canada and South Africa became tense during Trump’s term.
Trump, in a remark that drew widespread attention, once suggested he would “make Canada the 51st state” and imposed heavy tariffs on Canadian goods under what he labeled a “reciprocal” trade doctrine.
South Africa also found itself at odds with Washington under Trump’s leadership. In early 2025, he signed an executive order cutting U.S. financial aid to Pretoria, citing several controversial concerns: South Africa's stance in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel, its land reform efforts, and increasing engagement with Iran.
Despite these tensions, Ramaphosa held direct talks with Trump at the White House last month. The meeting aimed to ease friction and refocus on economic cooperation, particularly after Trump reignited claims that white Afrikaner farmers in South Africa are being targeted.
Ramaphosa described the encounter as constructive, stating that relations between Pretoria and Washington have entered a new phase centered around economic exchange in a shifting global landscape.
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