Browser not supportedToday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Prime Minister thanked the President for South Africa’s deployment of nearly 650 firefighters who are helping fight wildfires in Alberta. Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated that South Africa has played a critical role as Canada experiences more intense forest fire seasons due to climate change.
The two leaders discussed the strong bilateral relationship between Canada and South Africa and exchanged perspectives on their shared priorities, including addressing climate change and working on the clean energy transition. They reaffirmed their desire to continue working together in advance of 2025, when Canada and South Africa will be hosting the G7 and G20 summits, respectively.
Prime Minister Trudeau raised Russia’s unlawful and unjustifiable war against Ukraine and welcomed President Ramaphosa and other African leaders’ efforts to support and advance peace. The two leaders discussed how some of the global impacts of the war, especially food insecurity, are particularly affecting African countries.
The leaders discussed the evolving situation in Niger and emphasized the need to respect democracy.
Prime Minister Trudeau and President Ramaphosa agreed to stay in close contact and to see each other at the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi, India.