France says that inviting Russia to participate in the G7 summit requires G7 member states to form a consensus

　　China News Agency, Paris, June 3 (Reporter Li Yang) French official local time said on the 3rd that G7 member states must form a consensus when inviting Russia to participate in the G7 summit. The French also believe that they need to find a way to engage in dialogue with Russia.

　　In response to related questions that day, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the G7 made a decision against Russia in 2014. According to the implementation of the Minsk agreement, any new relevant decisions must be reached jointly by the G-7 member states.

Data graph: US President Trump. China News Agency reporter Chen Meng Tongshe

　　US President Trump said at the end of last month that he planned to invite Russia, South Korea, Australia and India to participate in the G7 summit. Canada and the United Kingdom allegedly did not support Russia’s re-entry.

　　The Group of Seven was founded in the 1970s and its members include the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. Russia joined the Group of Eight (G8) after joining in 1997. When the crisis in Ukraine broke out in 2014, seven countries refused to participate in the G8 summit that was originally scheduled to be held in Russia in June, and instead held the G7 summit.

　　On the 3rd, the French Presidential Palace also expressed its position on whether to invite Russia to participate in the G7 summit. Officials at the Presidential Palace stated that Russia has been excluded from the G7 for some special reasons, and now “we cannot see this situation changing”.

　　The official also said that he needed to find a way to talk to Russia. This is the opinion of French President Macron and other international partners. He pointed out that there are various ways of dialogue with Russia, but in any case, consensus needs to be reached within G7, he revealed that there is still no consensus on related issues so far. The official also believes that Russia does not feel that Russia is "eager or very eager" to return to the G7.

　　On the eve of the 2019 G7 summit in France, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a working visit to France and held a meeting with Macron. (Finish)