The foreign ministers of the seven leading economies in the western world (G7) have formulated a common stance on the threats and challenges posed by Russia, Iran and China. At their second meeting this year in Liverpool they highlighted the chances of cooperation with those states on the one hand, but also made demands on them on the other. The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who, like the British host Liz Truss and her Canadian colleague Mélanie Joly, took part in such a G7 ministerial summit for the first time, also presented the priorities of the German G7 presidency that is coming up next year. In addition to climate protection, these should include strengthening the resilience of the community of democracies and strengthening crisis prevention in the world.

Johannes Leithäuser

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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Baerbock praised the very strong common ground of the participating states with a view to many crises in the world, which will also be reflected on this Sunday in the final declaration of the foreign ministers.

Regarding the deliberations on China, she said that there was agreement to regard Beijing in its various roles as a partner, competitor and system rival and to seek cooperation "under fair economic conditions and with respect for human rights".

In view of the nuclear negotiations with Iran, which are being conducted in Vienna with the aim of bringing America back into the agreement and persuading Tehran to comply with its regulations again, Baerbock expressed himself pessimistically. It was the unanimous assessment of the G7 that the Iranian side was turning the negotiations back six months from what had already been achieved. The nuclear treaty offers a real opportunity to decisively improve living conditions in Iran. But the Iranian leadership would have to be constructive again in the Vienna negotiations.

The German Foreign Minister said there was also a “common clear stance” towards Russia among the G7. Violent border shifts in Europe could not be tolerated. Should Russia turn its military threat into action at the Ukrainian borders, there would be serious reactions from the Western world. Baerbock made it clear that the Russian behavior was not only preoccupied by the G7 meeting but is currently being discussed “on all channels” between the countries of Europe and the western world. Russia is called upon to “return to talks”.

And although a few days ago, in a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, American President Joe Biden had promised a new set of interlocutors in a five-minute format (quint), Baerbock said that the seven foreign ministers, including the American Blinken agreed that the existing Normandy format (Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany) as well as the NATO-Russia Council or the channels of the OSCE were the most important formats for discussion. Baerbock said, “We are doing all we can to resume negotiations with Russia.

The new German Foreign Minister made it clear that the G7 summit offered her an opportunity to quickly become familiar with foreign affairs.

After her inaugural visits to Paris, Brussels and Warsaw, she was now “able to get into multilateral business immediately, so to speak”.

When asked whether dealing with the bundle of crises in the world in her first week of office did not come too quickly to familiarize herself with, she replied, "that is the job of a foreign minister, that you have no time".