G-7 Foreign Chiefs Affirm Cooperation on Ukraine, Middle East

Munich, Feb. 14 (Jiji Press)–The foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major democracies on Saturday confirmed their policy of closely cooperating to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and developments in the Middle East. At their meeting in Munich, Germany, they also discussed cooperation to stabilize the supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths. This was the first in-person meeting of the G-7 foreign ministers this year. It was attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also took part in the meeting. The ministers “discussed further strengthening G-7 coordination toward the realization of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The G-7 ministers received a report from Sybiha on the progress of peace negotiations and the situation regarding energy supplies disrupted by Russian attacks, Jean-Noel Barrot, foreign minister of France, which holds the G-7 presidency this year, said at a press conference. He added that the G-7 foreign ministers had agreed to work together to implement sanctions against Russia and to increase support to help Ukraine ensure a stable electricity supply. The G-7 ministers also shared concerns regarding the situation in the Indo-Pacific, where China is increasing military and economic pressure. Motegi sought support from G-7 partners to resolve the issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals decades ago. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in the German city. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]