New Delhi/Johannesburg, Feb 19 : External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar will be visiting Johannesburg, South Africa on February 20-21 to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (FMM) at the invitation of the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa Ronald Lamola, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Wednesday.

"EAM's participation in the G20 FMM will strengthen India's engagement with G20 countries and bolster the voice of the Global South in this important forum. EAM is expected to hold few bilateral meetings in the margins of the FMM," read a statement issued by the MEA ahead of the visit.

The meeting would be the first Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be held during South Africa's Presidency of the G20 under the theme 'Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability'.

South Africa's G20 Presidency began from December 1, 2024 and will continue till November 30, only five years before the deadline of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda.

While assuming the role, President Cyril Ramaphosa insisted that South Africa's G20 Presidency takes place when the world is facing a series of overlapping and mutually reinforcing crises, including climate change, underdevelopment, inequality, poverty, hunger, unemployment, technological changes and geopolitical instability.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that he would be skipping the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' Meeting as tensions between South Africa and the United States continue to escalate.

In response, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola noted that since assuming the G20 presidency from Brazil, South Africa has proposed tackling a number of issues, including rising indebtedness affecting emerging economies.

"Solidarity promotes collective problem-solving. Our G20 presidency is not confined to just climate change but also equitable treatment for nations of the Global South, ensuring an equal global system for all. These are important principles that we remain open to pursuing and engaging the United States on," Lamola said.

/IANS