display

It's a first in the pandemic.

On Tuesday morning, the foreign and development aid ministers of the G-7 countries will meet for a two-day meeting.

Really, not via video, including a traditional family photo.

For the first time since the outbreak of the crisis.

The meeting under the British Presidency will take place in London.

Among other things, it serves to prepare for the G7 summit of heads of state and government in Cornwall in early June.

This summit of the “big seven” could become a symbol of the beginning of the last phase of the Covid pandemic in the western industrialized nations.

The health situation in the G-7 countries (Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Canada and the USA plus the European Commission as observer) is improving noticeably.

The vaccinations are showing their effects.

Nevertheless, the urgency of the fight against Covid is likely to overshadow the meeting of foreign ministers.

This is symbolized by the participation of the Indian Foreign Minister Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who was invited by his British counterpart Dominic Raab.

The Foreign Ministers of Korea and South Africa will also be attending.

display

The Covid situation in India is worsening.

At the weekend, the country with 1.3 billion people reported more than 400,000 new infections in one day - a sad record.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the pandemic in his country virtually over in March and has held mass rallies since then without wearing a mask.

Modi will also be present at meetings in Cornwall in June, including US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the host, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The British G-7 presidency sees the personal meeting of foreign ministers as an opportunity to "revive" the personal form of diplomacy.

"Fair access to vaccines" should be established, said British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab.

The meeting also addresses global goals for girls' schooling and action against famine.

Raab also calls for “ambitious measures to combat climate change”.

display

Great Britain, which has itself enforced a strict policy when traveling in its own country and beyond, announced strict Covid security measures for the summit.

There should be daily tests before the deliberations at Lancaster House in the London borough of St. James's.

All national guidelines on physical distance are in force.

Britain sees Russia as the greatest threat to its security

In terms of content, the British G-7 presidency is aiming for a tougher course against Russia and China.

Foreign Minister Raab said that the G-7 members should use a common mechanism to counter false information from both countries: "If we see these lies and this propaganda or that fake news is being spread, we can refute it not only individually, but together." just publish the truth. "

Britain sees Russia as its greatest threat to its security and China as its strongest long-term rival in military, economic and technological matters.

Several Western states accuse Russia and China of systematically sowing distrust, for example in the run-up to elections or via corona vaccines.

display

This approach corresponds to the agenda of the new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose presence is preparing President Biden's first trip abroad in June.

After the G-7 meeting in Cornwall, Biden travels to the NATO summit and the EU-US meeting in Brussels.

It remains to be seen whether Biden's recently proposed personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place.

The relationship between the USA and Russia has deteriorated noticeably, and Moscow describes it as more tense than during the Cold War.

US Secretary of State Blinken plans to travel to Ukraine after the meeting in Cornwall.

"Nord Stream 2 remains an issue," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in advance

Source: AFP

US Secretary of State Blinken had already visited London on Monday.

With the separate bilateral meeting with the British hosts, he emphasizes the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

At the subsequent meeting of the G-7 foreign ministers, the US State Department said in advance that the Western partners would work together to meet Beijing from a “position of strength”.

A dinner on Tuesday will deal with the situation in the Indo-Pacific.

The host countries Australia, India, Korea, South Africa and - as chair of the Asean states - Brunei will take part in the debate, according to the State Department.

Criticism of export restrictions on vaccines

The British government has proposed a discussion on open societies for Wednesday, to discuss freedom of the media, cyber governance, disinformation and the common values ​​of the G-7 countries. The foreign ministers also want to discuss a sustainable recovery as a result of the pandemic. The key issue here is a better supply of the world with vaccines.

The US, UK and EU have come under fire for restricting vaccine exports. Even a rich industrialized country like Canada is currently experiencing what restrictive export bans, here by the USA, mean. Canada is primarily supplied with vaccine made in the EU. The quota including second vaccinations in Canada is below the global average and far behind the progress in Germany or the USA. Due to a lack of vaccines, the Canadians have extended the interval between the two vaccinations to four months. The aim is to speed up the first vaccination.

But the G-7 foreign ministers' meeting also serves various bilateral talks.

Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) can already prepare again to be confronted with the issue of Nord Stream 2.

Washington criticizes the Russian-German Baltic Sea pipeline project.

President Biden and Foreign Minister Blinken have repeatedly made this clear.

As the relationship between the USA and Russia grows cold, the issue becomes even more explosive.

"Nord Stream 2 remains an issue," says the US State Department in advance of a planned meeting between Blinken and Maas.

"We will continue to make it very clear to the Germans what we think of this project and that it should be stopped," argues around Foreign Minister Blinken.

Blinken will travel to Kiev on Wednesday, where he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. He is also planning meetings with members of parliament and representatives of Ukrainian civil society. In light of the ongoing Russian aggression, Blinken will reaffirm the US's unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the US State Department said in advance.