G7 Summit Archives - Iran News Daily

Russia: China Would Be Needed in Expanded G7 Summit

reporter 1222 — Sat, 04 Jul 2020 12:10:42 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Russia is not in talks with Washington about its potential role at an expanded G7 summit later this year, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday, insisting that China should also be included in the event.

His comments to TASS news agency countered those of John Sullivan, US ambassador to Russia, who told RBC TV on Friday that Washington was “engaged with the Russian Foreign Ministry and with the other G7 governments about whether there is an appropriate role for Russia at the G7.”

US President Donald Trump has raised the prospects of Russia’s return to the group, which includes the world’s most advanced economies after it was expelled in the wake of its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Trump said last month it was “common sense” to invite President Vladimir Putin to rejoin the group, Reuters reported.

Russia had been part of the group, then known as the G8, since 1997.

Other G7 nations, including Canada and France, have objected to Russia’s return, however.

Ryabkov said that the absence of China from an expanded G7 summit would make it impossible to discuss international issues.

“The idea of this so-called extended G7 is flawed because it’s not clear how the authors of this initial plan to address the Chinese factor,” he was quoted as saying.

“Without China, it’s simply impossible to discuss any issues in the modern world.”

Trump in May announced he was postponing a G7 summit until September or later and expanding the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea, and India.

Australia has accepted the US invitation to take part.

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Zarif in an Unexpected and Dramatic Visit to G7 Summit

reporter 1222 — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 23:55:08 +0000

Zarif’s presence had not been announced and represented an attempt by French host Emmanuel Macron to find a way to soothe spiralling tensions between Iran and the United States.

He was not expected to hold face-to-face talks with US President Donald Trump but the presence of the two men in the same place sparked hopes of a detente.

“Zarif… has arrived in Biarritz… to continue talks regarding the recent measures between the presidents of Iran and France,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi tweeted, after flight tracking sites spotted that Zarif’s plane had landed in Biarritz.

The French presidency confirmed his arrival but emphasized no talks were planned with the American side.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that Trump had in the past said that if Iran “wants to sit down and negotiate he will not set preconditions,” adding he would not make any more comments about “who’s here” at the G7.

Macron held talks with Zarif in Paris on the eve of the G7 summit and has been leading efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table.

Trump’s policy of applying “maximum pressure” on Tehran via crippling sanctions has been criticized by European powers and is seen as raising the risk of conflict in the Middle East.

Macron has urged the U.S. administration to offer some sort of relief to Iran, such as lifting sanctions on oil sales to China and India, or a new credit line to enable exports, French officials have said.

This is seen as a first step to get Iran back to the negotiating table, which could then lead to a new international agreement to limit its nuclear program.

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