G7 Ministers Affirm Ukraine Ceasefire and Middle East Stability
Top Group of Seven diplomats confirmed their cooperation on stability in the Middle East and continued support for Ukraine during meetings in Paris on Tuesday.
The foreign ministers wrapped up their two-day gathering in the French capital after discussions that included invited counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other nations.
Participants reaffirmed that free and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is essential. They also agreed to cooperate in bringing stability to the Gaza Strip and the wider Middle East.
Voicing deep worries over conditions in Yemen—where Houthi rebels and interim government forces remain locked in a protracted struggle—Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu emphasized the necessity of a political settlement. Motegi also explained that Japan will continue to urge Iran to resume talks with the United States.
The G7 ministers affirmed support for Ukraine, including winter assistance, and called for a complete ceasefire in its conflict with Russia, Motegi said, according to Mainichi. Ahead of the cold season, the diplomats pledged to maintain their backing for Ukraine’s electricity grid and other installations harmed by Russian ballistic missile strikes.
As Mainichi reported, Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed his G7 colleagues that Washington sees no current necessity to launch major military engagements against Tehran, explaining to reporters that the blockade and economic penalties against Iran are severely damaging its financial system.
“The economic sanctions on Iran and blockade of it are doing devastation to their economy,” Marco Rubio said.
During Monday’s meetings, the Japanese ministry said that the ministers reaffirmed their firm resistance to any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo through force or coercion, specifically mentioning the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, and the East China Sea. They also discussed issues such as the safety of artificial intelligence.
Motegi said the importance of undersea cables, which carry about 99 percent of global data traffic, is growing as the use of artificial intelligence expands.
Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Britain, and the United States make up the G7, alongside the European Union. Foreign ministers of Brazil, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Ukraine attended part of the meeting.
“G7 participants reaffirmed their intention to work together to address the increasingly challenging international situation,” Motegi told reporters after the meeting.