Contents tagged with G8
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Germany refuses to reinstate Russia in G8
The German government has rejected a proposal by the presidents of France and the US to invite Russia to the Group of Seven (G7) summit in 2020. According to Steffen Seibert, official spokesperson for the German government, Moscow needs to show that it is willing to change its stance on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Only after that will the Seven consider inviting Russia, DPA reports.
Ahead of a visit to Moscow on Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that he has “fundamentally …
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France: Russia not excluded from G7
Jean-Pierre Thébault, Ambassador responsible for the preparation of the French presidency in the G7, said that Paris would happily have Russian return to the G-7 under certain conditions. According to him, Russia’s membership was suspended, not discontinued, therefore there it is likely that the old G8 format will be restored in time for the summit in Biarritz, which will take place in August 2019.
“Russia had never been excluded from the G8. Russia’s participation was only suspended when …
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Lavrov: Russia never asked to be allowed back into the G8
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia never asked to be allowed back into the Group of Eight (G8) and considers the Group of Twenty (G20) as the most promising format for the future.
"We never asked to be allowed back," Lavrov said on Russia's Channel One, Interfax reports. He said that when Western partners decided that Russia would be excluded from the summit and that they would return to the G7 format, Moscow accepted "their decision."
"We have been working well in …
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Angela Merkel sees no reason why Russia should be restored in G8
German Chancellor Angela Merkel feels that the decision to exclude Russia from the international G8 forum was correct, and she sees no reason why the country should be restored, despite tense relations with the U.S. Merkel said this in answer to a question asked by a deputy of the Bundestag who belongs to the right-wing Alternative for Germany party.
According to Merkel, the G8 forum is based on respect for international law, which Russia has brazenly violated.
“The annexation of Crimea was a …
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Media: Italy discusses return of Russia to the G8
Italy, which currently holds the presidency of the Group of Seven (G-7), favored the return of Russia to the summit, which would once again make the group the G8, Corriere della Sera reported.
The G-7 summit will take place on May 26th-27th, in Taormina. The number of the forum members hasn’t been confirmed yet. However, according to the edition, the Italian authorities are discussing Russia’s participation in this forum.
This issue was also raised at the meeting between the Head of the …