The foreign ministers also paid attention to the development of relations with African countriesMUNSTER /Germany/, November 4.
/tass/. The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries (G7 - Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, USA, France and Japan) concluded on Friday a two-day meeting that took place in the small town of Munster (federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia) in the west of Germany. The main topics were initially stated to be the situation in Ukraine and Iran, as well as relations with Russia.
At the same time, the foreign ministers paid special attention to the development of relations with African countries. In particular, representatives of a number of African States and the African Union were invited to Munster. On the second day of the forum, many bilateral meetings of the G7 countries and African States took place.
Upon arrival, the G7 Foreign Ministers spoke with one voice about the need to provide further comprehensive support to Ukraine and toughen sanctions against Iran and Russia. The United States was represented at the meeting by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Following the negotiations, a joint statement was adopted.
The Group of Seven countries declared their readiness to continue imposing economic sanctions against Russia and other countries supporting the Russian military operation in Ukraine. They again called on Russia to immediately stop the operation and withdraw all its forces and military equipment.
They also repeated the call to the Belarusian authorities to "stop allowing the Russian armed forces to use the territory of Belarus to launch missiles aimed at Ukraine." At the same time, the ministers threatened Belarus with "huge additional costs" in the event of a more direct participation of the republic in the conflict.
At the same time, the ministers warned the Russian Federation about the consequences of using weapons of mass destruction. "Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia will be fraught with serious consequences," they said. The foreign ministers of the G7 countries rejected Russia's information about Ukraine's readiness to use a "dirty bomb". "The IAEA inspections have confirmed that these accusations are groundless, and we thank Ukraine for transparency," they said.
In addition, the Foreign Ministers urged the Russian Federation to heed the calls of the UN to extend the grain deal.
The Group of Seven countries also plan to complete the process of introducing a ceiling on Russian oil prices "in the coming weeks." "We continue to call on oil-producing countries to increase production, which will reduce volatility in energy markets. In the coming weeks, we will complete the introduction of a marginal price for Russian oil supplied by sea," the foreign ministers stressed.
The Ministers also reported on the creation of a coordination mechanism to support the reconstruction of Ukraine. "Today we are creating a G7 coordination mechanism to help Ukraine repair, restore and protect its most important energy and water infrastructure," they said.
"We will stand firmly on the side of Ukraine for as long as it takes," the statement said. The Ministers reaffirmed "their unwavering commitment to continue providing the financial, humanitarian, military, political, technical and legal support necessary for Ukraine to alleviate the suffering of its people and maintain sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders."
The foreign ministers accused Iran of transferring unmanned aerial vehicles to states and non-state actors. "We strongly condemn Iran's ongoing destabilizing activities in and around the Middle East. It includes Iran's activities with ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles and the transfer of such advanced weapons to states and non-state actors," the foreign ministers said.
They also promised to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, accusing Tehran of "insufficient cooperation" with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under the safeguards agreement under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
The heads of the Seven foreign ministries believe that Tehran has not fulfilled the necessary conditions for the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program. In addition, they intend to hold Iran accountable for the downing of the Boeing 737-800 of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) in January 2020.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministers called on the Iranian authorities to release the arrested protesters and condemned Iran's detentions of dual citizens and foreign citizens.
The G7 countries expressed their desire to cooperate with China in areas "where possible," including on issues of peace and security, global health and climate. At the same time, they warned Beijing against "unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force."
"We, the G7 members, strive for constructive cooperation with China wherever possible and in our interests, in particular on such global challenges as peace and security, global health, the climate and biodiversity crisis, as well as the conservation of natural resources," the Foreign ministers said.
At the same time, the Group of Seven "reminded China of the need to comply with the principles of the UN Charter on the peaceful settlement of disputes and refrain from threats, coercion, intimidation or the use of force." "We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion," the ministers said.
The Foreign Ministers expressed concern about "reports of human rights violations, including in Xinjiang and Tibet," as well as in connection with the situation in Hong Kong. They called on Beijing to "treat foreign diplomats in accordance with its obligations under the Vienna Convention." At the same time, the Ministers called for a peaceful resolution of issues related to Taiwan.
The G7 countries "strongly condemned the unprecedented series of illegal ballistic missile launches conducted by the DPRK in 2022, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on October 4, 2022, which was recklessly carried out over Japan." "We call on the DPRK to immediately cease its destabilizing activities, fully comply with all legal obligations under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, fully comply with the NPT and IAEA safeguards," the ministers noted.
The Ministers pointed to the strategic and geopolitical importance of the African continent, announcing their commitment to investing in high-quality infrastructure in Africa. "We will continue to work with our African partners to create sustainable agri-food and energy systems, mitigate the effects of climate change and counter misinformation," they assured.
At the same time, the politicians announced their intention to strengthen cooperation with the countries of Central Asia. The Ministers agreed to work together on the development of transport and trade relations with these states.
This is the second meeting of the G7 Foreign Ministers, which was held this year under the chairmanship of Germany. The previous meeting of the Seven Foreign Ministers took place in mid-May in the municipality of Vangels (federal state of Schleswig-Holstein) in northern Germany.
The meeting of Foreign Ministers has been held since November 3 under conditions of increased security measures. The historical center of the city, where the negotiations of the Foreign Ministers of the "Big Seven" were held and the press center was located, was completely blocked. Law enforcement agencies have installed special fences there - the so-called security zone. Local residents, as well as guests of Munster, were asked to choose other routes.
In addition, fences were installed around one of the largest hotels in the city, the Atlantic Hotel Muenster, where representatives of foreign delegations and the media stayed. Security in the city was provided mainly by representatives of the local police.
The negotiations themselves took place in the Peace Hall in the historic Town Hall of Munster. This place, as the head of the German Foreign Ministry, Annalena Berbock, said, was not chosen by chance. In 1648, the Peace Treaty of Westphalia was signed in the Peace Hall, ending the Thirty Years' War. In accordance with it, in particular, the Netherlands became an independent state.
The Group of Seven is an association of economically developed countries. The main goals are to find solutions to global political and social problems. In the "seven" format, the organization existed in 1976-1997. After the annexation of Russia, the association became known as the Group of Eight. In March 2014, as a result of the events in Ukraine and the subsequent crisis in relations between Russia and the West, the association decided to return to the format of the "seven".
