Norway’s foreign minister Espen Barth Eide says US secretary of state Marco Rubio's decision to boycott the G20 foreign ministers' meeting is “unfortunate”.
In an exclusive interview with TimesLIVE Premium on Thursday, Eide said Norway did not share the same concerns as the US on the Expropriation Act and found the explanation given about the need for redress sufficient.
“We have read the explanations the government has given and we find them credible and we do not come to the same conclusion as the US,” he said.
Eide said the US was going about this matter the wrong way. Norway and the US have a long-standing relationship dating back to the 1900s. The two countries share economic ties having recently signed a bilateral deal to facilitate enhanced space co-operation.
Eide was speaking after US treasury secretary Scott Bessent became the second cabinet member in US President Donald Trump's administration to snub the meetings.
Rubio was the first to announce he would miss the G20 foreign ministers' meeting, claiming South Africa is anti-American.
Their decision follows weeks of strained relations between the US and South Africa about what Trump said were continuous violations of human rights after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the act into law.
“I think it's very unfortunate that Rubio is not here. He will miss a good meeting, all his colleagues are here and my view is that coming to a meeting does not mean endorsement of what everybody else thinks. We have meetings also because we disagree. If we all started in the morning agreeing on everything, why would we meet?
Of course I hope bilateral issues are sorted out but I would strongly defend the right of South Africa to use international institutions, for example the ICJ, and if somebody disagrees with the proposition, they should say that in court
— Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s foreign minister
“So I think that's unfortunate and for that reason I'm happy that almost all my colleagues are here on ministerial level, which is a strong tribute to the South African presidency.”
Trump also took issue with South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Eide said Norway supported South Africa’s decision to approach the ICJ as it was a right enjoyed by all UN members.
“Of course I hope bilateral issues are sorted out but I would strongly defend the right of South Africa to use international institutions, for example the ICJ, and if somebody disagrees with the proposition, they should say that in court. In every court there is at least two views; otherwise there wouldn't be a court. We have to defend the right of every member of the UN to use a principal organ of the UN if it so desires.”
Eide said Norway believes South Africa should be given space to deal with its domestic issues without pressure from other countries.
Pretoria has previously noted the Nordic countries as major players in South Africa’s economic development, with more than 150 companies in South Africa, bringing with them innovation, technology, jobs and foreign direct investment.
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