G20 leaders adopt joint declaration at start of Johannesburg summit

Leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) have approved a joint declaration at the opening of the summit in Johannesburg, following an unexpected initiative by the event’s chair, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The president proposed adopting the declaration at the start of the meeting rather than at its conclusion, significantly altering the summit’s proceedings, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

A representative of the South African delegation said that Ramaphosa’s manoeuvre was “entirely successful.”

They added: “The chair brought much-needed clarity to the summit’s work, even if some participants did not anticipate it. Ramaphosa argued that only the summit participants themselves could and should determine its direction and outcomes.”

Vincent Magwenya, an official spokesperson for the South African president, confirmed on the sidelines that the document, originally intended to reflect the outcomes of two days of discussions, had already been approved.

“The declaration has been adopted unanimously,” he said.

By Aghakazim Guliyev