The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries issued a communique April 18 announcing the topics discussed at a recent G7 meeting in Japan.
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the High Representative of the European Union, outlined their shared commitments to various global issues, including democracy, human rights and the rule of law, in the dispatch released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS).
“We will continue to work with our partners to promote open, transparent, resilient, and sustainable societies that champion human rights, justice, and dignity, and address the needs of the most vulnerable," the G7 leaders stated in the communique. "We reaffirm our intention to promote human security and continue building a global community that leaves no one behind."
The ministers discussed climate change and their countries' commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, the release reports. In addition, they called for greater cooperation in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, including the equitable distribution of vaccines, and expressed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the World Health Organization (WHO). The communique also addressed various security concerns, including regional conflicts and terrorism, and called for continued efforts to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.
The G7 ministers in their communique condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Russia's illegal war against Ukraine, the communique reports, and called upon Russia to "withdraw all forces and equipment from Ukraine immediately and unconditionally."
"We recommit today to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes," the ministers state in the dispatch, "and to providing sustained security, economic, and institutional support to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression.
They expressed their support of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's efforts to promote a comprehensive, lasting peace and the basic principles in his Peace Formula, the release reports.
The ministers also called Russia’s nuclear rhetoric irresponsible and its threat to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus unacceptable, according to the release, and condemned Russia’s seizure and militarization of Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, which has the potential for severe consequences for nuclear safety and security.
The communique also laid out the ministers' discussions on other global concerns, including global governance; peacebuilding, disarmament and non-proliferation efforts; economic security; finance and infrastructure; and cyber security and outer space.
“In today’s @G7 Ministerial sessions, we discussed many challenges: from Russia’s war against Ukraine to advancing peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific to addressing our shared concerns across the Middle East and Central Asia," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet on April 17. "We are committed to solving these challenges."
