The Hague: The Netherlands has reiterated its commitment to work towards a successful G20 meeting, which South Africa will host later this year. This affirmation came from Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Caspar Veldkamp, in a joint communiqu© following the fourth meeting of the South Africa – Netherlands Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) on Monday.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Ministers discussed the progress of South Africa’s G20 Presidency, to which the Netherlands was invited for all meetings, including the Leaders’ Summit. Minister Veldkamp emphasized that the Netherlands will continue to support a successful G20, the first on African soil, under South Africa’s Presidency.
South Africa is set to host the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit in November 2025. The G20 is an international forum of both developing and developed countries that seeks solutions to global economic and financial issues.
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, co-chaired the JCC in The Hague alongside Minister Veldkamp. In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation highlighted the high-level dialogue between the Ministers, underscoring the enduring partnership between the two nations.
At the JCC, the Ministers noted the outcomes of the recent South Africa – European Union Summit and the agreement to start negotiations on a Clean Trade and Investment Partnership. They expressed their commitment to a fruitful and successful Third AU-EU Ministerial meeting on 20 May 2025 in Brussels, paving the way for an AU-EU Summit in June 2025.
Held in Cape Town in March, President Cyril Ramaphosa described the 8th South Africa-European Union (EU) Summit as a ‘watershed’ moment for trade and investment relations between South Africa and the regional bloc. The European Union (EU) remains one of South Africa’s largest trading partners and a significant source of investment.
Additionally, the Ministers underlined the strong relations between South Africa and the Netherlands, recalling the State Visit of Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen M¡xima to South Africa in 2023. They noted the progress made in fostering the relationship between the two countries since the Third Meeting of the Joint Commission was held in Pretoria on 18 October 2023.