WATCH | Awkward moment over Joe Biden's Ramaphosa 'moemish'

15 June 2021 - 07:11 By unathi nkanjeni
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US President Joe Biden suggested that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to introduce President Cyril Ramaphosa at the meeting of world leaders.
US President Joe Biden suggested that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to introduce President Cyril Ramaphosa at the meeting of world leaders.
Image: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

There was an awkward moment at the G7 summit in England over the weekend when US President Joe Biden wrongfully suggested that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to introduce President Cyril Ramaphosa at the meeting of world leaders.

Biden corrected Johnson's introduction of Ramaphosa after the US president thought that Johnson didn't mention which country Ramaphosa was from. 

After introducing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ramaphosa and South Korean President Moon Jae-in and exclaiming that they had brought good weather with them, Johnson was interrupted.

“And the president of SA,” Biden exclaimed.

“And the president of SA, as I said earlier on,” Johnson replied.

“Oh, you did?” Biden asked.

“I did, I certainly did,” Johnson replied while laughing at the gaffe.

Watch the video below:

Ramaphosa was invited by Johnson to attend the summit in recognition of SA’s leadership role on the African continent and globally in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the summit, Ramaphosa said inaction to overcome the current global health crisis would cost lives.

He also called on G7 and G20 leaders to close the Covid-19 funding gap.

“The Access to Covid-19 Tools (Act) Accelerator has the potential to fundamentally change the global trajectory of this disease, but only if all countries contribute their fair share to close the $16.8bn [about R231bn] funding gap for this year.

“If all G7 countries met their fair-share target, this initiative would be two-thirds funded. And it would be 90% funded if all G20 countries made their fair-share contributions,” said Ramaphosa. 


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