Azerbaycan24 – The foreign ministers of G7 countries on Tuesday gathered for their first in-person meeting since the beginning of the pandemic, to discuss pertinent issues around the world.
The conference, held at Lancaster House in London and led by UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, discussed a plethora of urgent matters, including threats to international law and democratic norms posed by certain states as well as ways to combat rising carbon emissions.
“The UK’s presidency of the G7 is an opportunity to bring together open, democratic societies and demonstrate unity at a time when it is much needed to tackle shared challenges and rising threats,” Raab said in a statement.
“The addition of our friends from Australia, India, the Republic of Korea and South Africa, as well as the chair of ASEAN reflects the growing significance of the Indo-Pacific region for the G7,” the foreign minister added, highlighting the importance of trade relations between the UK and region post-Brexit.
Ministers also spoke on the ongoing conflicts in Libya and Syria as well as those in Ethiopia and Somalia. Climate change in the Sahel region of central-western Africa was also reviewed as well as threats posed by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS.
The focus of the conference, however, was international law and democratic norms.
G7 ministers spoke of the importance of unity in the face of threats against international law and the erosion of human rights and freedoms. The ministers were also urged to take a stronger stance against aggressive foreign policies of China and Russia in their respective regions.
“Together, the @G7 members will work to define and enact a shared democratic vision. We respect the freedom of all people to express their political will and meaningfully participate in determining the direction of their country,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Twitter post.
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