LONDON – Ahead of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in London, hosts Britain want to sharpen their new focus on closer ties with Asia.
According to his ministry’s announcement, British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab wants to meet his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, whom he – like the representatives of India, Australia and South Korea – will be visiting as a guest at the first personal meeting of the G7 ministers in more than two years invited to London.
The traditional “Special Relationship” between the British and the USA should not be neglected: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also one of the first colleagues Raab wants to meet on Monday for a one-to-one conversation. It will deal with trade issues as well as current developments in China, Afghanistan and Iran.
In addition to Great Britain and Germany, the G7 countries include France, the USA, Canada, Italy and Japan. The UK is hosting this year’s G7 summit in Cornwall in mid-June. The previous meeting of foreign and development ministers was an excellent opportunity to revive person-to-person diplomacy, the British government said.
The agenda therefore includes issues such as fair access to vaccines, global educational goals for girls, climate change and measures to prevent famine and food shortages. In addition, the recent armament of Russia on the border with Ukraine is likely to be discussed. US Secretary of State Blinken plans to continue visiting Ukraine after the meeting in London.
Image source:
- Dominic Raab before the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers: dpa
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