Tag: G7

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Sunak to push for ‘decisive’ support for Ukraine at G7  

The G7 leaders were welcomed by Italian PM Meloni, as the President of the Council of Ministers, who is keen to showcase the Apulia region’s many highlights…reports Asian Lite News

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Thursday began their three-day summit on global affairs in the southern Italian region of Apulia, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited for the Outreach session to be held on Friday.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is set to dominate the agenda as leaders of the G7 – the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France and Japan – are hosted by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni at the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia on the Adriatic coast.

Sunak is leading calls for “decisive” efforts to support Ukraine “whatever it takes.” “We must be decisive and creative in our efforts to support Ukraine and end (Russian President) Putin’s illegal war at this critical moment,” Sunak said in a statement ahead of the summit talks.

“The UK remains at the forefront of the international response as we have been from the outset. We must move from ‘as long as it takes’ to ‘whatever it takes’ if we are to end this illegal war,” he said.

“From Ukraine to the Middle East, we will be discussing significant global threats at the summit. Such threats are why it is so vital to strengthen the UK’s national defence, through our commitment to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030,” he added.

According to Downing Street, at the summit, Sunak will announce up to GBP 242 million in bilateral assistance to Ukraine, to support immediate humanitarian, energy and stabilisation needs, and lay the foundations for longer-term economic and social recovery and reconstruction.

“A priority for the PM at the Summit will be to work with partners to agree a way to use immobilised Russian assets to support Ukraine,” a Downing Street statement said.

The G7 leaders were welcomed by Italian PM Meloni, as the President of the Council of Ministers, who is keen to showcase the Apulia region’s many highlights.

Pope Francis will attend the summit on Friday, becoming the first pontiff to take part in a G7, and is set to talk about the need for ethical AI, as well as about efforts to bring about peace, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.

Massimo Bottura, a top Italian chef awarded seven Michelin Stars, is preparing the delicacies for the summit.

“I wish to thank Chef Bottura for accepting our invitation, and for using his art to promote Italian food and wine. We invited him not only because he is one of the world’s most famous ambassadors of Italian cuisine, but also because of his ability to combine aesthetics and ethics,” said Meloni.

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AI, energy, Africa to be in focus of PM’s G7 visit

The prime minister is likely to hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit…reports Asian Lite News

During the outreach session at the G7 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would focus be on artificial intelligence, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean.

Modi said issues crucial for the Global South will also be deliberated upon at the Outreach session. The G7 summit, to be held in the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia in Italy’s Apulia region from June 13 to 15, is expected to be dominated by the raging war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza.

“At the invitation of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, I am travelling to Apulia region in Italy to participate in the G7 Outreach summit on June 14,” Modi said. The prime minister said he was glad that his first visit in the third consecutive term is to Italy for the G-7 Summit.

“During the discussions at the Outreach session, the focus will be on artificial intelligence, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean. It will be an opportunity to bring greater synergy between the outcomes of the G20 Summit held under India’s Presidency and the forthcoming G7 Summit, and deliberate on issues which are crucial for the Global South,” Modi said.

Modi will have a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Meloni.

“Prime Minister Meloni’s two visits to India last year were instrumental in infusing momentum and depth in our bilateral agenda. We remain committed to consolidating the India-Italy strategic partnership, and bolstering cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean regions,” he said.

The prime minister is likely to hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

“I am also looking forward to meeting other leaders participating in the Summit,” he said.

The G7 comprises the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan.

Italy is holding the current presidency of the G7 (Group of Seven) and is hosting the summit in that capacity. A key focus of the Italian presidency has been to defend the rules-based international system. According to Italy, Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine has undermined its principles and triggered growing instability, with multiple crises unfolding worldwide.

The G7 will give equal importance to Israel’s war in Gaza, with its consequences for the global agenda, it says. The bloc expanded into the G8 between 1997 and 2013, with the inclusion of Russia.

However, Russia’s participation was suspended in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea. In line with the grouping’s tradition, representatives of a number of countries and international organisations are invited to the summit by the host nation that holds the chair.

Besides India, Italy has invited leaders from 11 developing countries in Africa, South America and the Indo-Pacific region to attend the summit. Though the European Union is not a member of the G7, it attends the annual summit.

“PM @narendramodi touches down at Brindisi airport in Apulia, Italy. Agenda includes participation in the Outreach session of the G7 Summit & substantive interactions with the global leaders on the sidelines. An action-packed day awaits!” the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, wrote in a post on X.

Giving an overview of PM Modi’s day-long visit to Italy, Jaiswal posted another video, as he sketched out the details of the Prime Minister’s engagements with the world leaders on June 14.

“Namaste! The Prime Minister of India has arrived at Brindisi Airport in Italy to participate in the G7 Summit. Tomorrow is a packed day for him. We have several bilateral meetings with the world leaders lined up,” Jaiswal said in the video.

“He will also be addressing the outreach session of the G7 Summit,” he added.

The G7 summit is taking place at the luxurious Borgo Egnazia resort in Italy’s Apulia region from June 13-15. PM Modi is attending the summit at the invitation of Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.

Earlier, Modi, in his departure statement, said that he is glad that his first state visit in the third consecutive term is to Italy for the G7 Summit. He recalled his previous visit to Italy and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visits to India which have contributed significantly to enhancing bilateral ties.

“I am glad that my first visit in the third consecutive term is to Italy for the G-7 Summit. I warmly recall my visit to Italy for the G20 Summit in 2021. Prime Minister Meloni’s two visits to India last year were instrumental in infusing momentum and depth in our bilateral agenda. We remain committed to consolidate the India-Italy strategic partnership, and bolster cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean regions,” Modi had said.

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Ukraine Dominates G7 Agenda

This could be Joe Biden’s final G7 summit, coming five months before he faces his predecessor…reports Asian Lite News

The G7 leaders are huddling in Italy for a three-day summit dominated by the wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza, in addition to the growing trade and security tensions with China.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was invited to attend the gathering of the Group of Seven, which starts on Thursday at the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia to the southeast of the city of Bari in southern Italy’s Apulia region.

This could be Joe Biden’s final G7 summit, coming five months before he faces his predecessor and right-wing Republican rival Donald Trump in a tense US presidential contest.

European leaders are under domestic political pressure, too.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will arrive after far-right parties made big gains in last weekend’s European Parliament elections, raising questions about their countries’ political environments.

And, after 14 years of Conservative government in Britain, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to suffer a stinging defeat to the opposition Labour Party in the July 4 general election.

Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda of the meeting of the world’s advanced industrialized democracies: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. The European Union also takes part.

Kyiv can expect to receive a huge new aid package from the G7 for its defence against Russia. The leaders are set to agree to finance a loan of $50 billion for Ukraine with interest from frozen Russian state assets.

The lion’s share of the frozen assets – around 210 billion euros- is within the European Union. The Russian money generates billions in interest income every year.

After months of negotiations, Biden and Zelensky will also sign a bilateral security agreement between the United States and Ukraine on the sidelines of the G7, the White House said.

Washington also announced on the eve of the summit it was imposing sanctions on more than 300 individuals and entities connected to Russia’s war economy, including financial institutions, the Moscow Stock Exchange and Chinese companies.

Ukraine is in the spotlight at back-to-back international gatherings in Europe. Berlin hosted the Ukraine Recovery Conference On Tuesday and Wednesday. After the G7 wraps up on Saturday, many of the same leaders are due to head to Switzerland for a Ukraine peace summit at which Russia will be absent.

Besides Zelensky, the leaders of Turkey, Brazil and India will also be attending the Italy talks. Pope Francis will be the first pontiff to take part in a G7 summit; He was invited to address the risks posed by artificial intelligence.

Other topics include relations with Africa and migration.

ALSO READ: US lifts weapons ban on Ukraine’s Azov Brigade

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Modi to visit Italy for G7 summit

On his first overseas visit in the third term, Modi would join global leaders in attending the G7 summit, which will be held in in Italy’s Apulia from June 13-15…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Italy later this week, days after being sworn into office for a record third term on Sunday.

On his first overseas visit in the third term, Modi would join global leaders in attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit, which will be held in Borgo Egnazia (Fasano) in Italy’s Apulia from June 13-15. Modi is likely to reach the summit on June 14 for one day.

Notably, Italy and India elevated their bilateral relations to “strategic partnership” during the visit of Italian PM Giorgia Meloni to New Delhi in March 2023.

The G7 summit in Italy is one of the reasons why the guest list of international leaders for Modi’s swearing-in ceremony was kept compact.

Top leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius, and Seychelles attended the swearing-in ceremony of Modi. The officials informed that this guest list was guided by New Delhi’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ which focuses on key island nations in the Indian Ocean region.

“Spoke with PM Giorgia Meloni and extended greetings as Italy celebrates its Liberation day today. Thanked her for the invite to the G7 summit in June. Discussed taking forward G20 India outcomes at the G7. Reaffirmed commitment to deepening our Strategic Partnership,” Modi said in a social media post on April 25.

The G7 summit is an informal international forum with Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US as its member nations. The president of the European Council and the president of the European Commission will also attend the event to represent the European Union.

Italy assumed the presidency of the forum on January 1 this year.

Notably, following the G7 summit’s conclusion, Switzerland is scheduled to host the Ukraine peace summit over the weekend, in which 90 countries and organisations (half from Europe) will participate to chart a path towards possible peace in Ukraine. However, India is unlikely to attend this summit, media reports said.

‘Modi may visit Nepal’

Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to look into the possibility of visiting Nepal after attending the G7 Summit in Italy.

Upon arrival in Kathmandu after attending PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in Delhi, Dahal, said at a press briefing on Monday that he extended an invitation to PM Modi for a visit to Nepal.

He said, “I extended invitation to Mr. (Narendra) Modi to visit Nepal. He responded positively, promising to visit in appropriate time. He also stated that he has to attend the G7 Summit meeting to be held in Italy. He also said that he might come to Nepal after returning from the summit.”

Notably, the G7 Summit will be held in Italy on June 13-15, 2024. The event will bring together the Leaders of the seven-member States, as well as the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission representing the European Union.

Dahal held a brief meeting with PM Modi after his swearing-in ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday evening. At the invitation of the Indian PM, Dahal on Sunday had travelled to Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of their Indian counterpart.

During the meeting, Dahal congratulated PM Modi and conveyed his optimism regarding the trajectory of the longstanding friendship between the two countries.

“Had a meeting with Shri @narendramodi ji. I congratulated him on his third consecutive term as Prime Minister of India. We discussed ways to further enhance Nepal-India relations. I am confident that our multifaceted relations with India will prosper under his leadership,” Nepal PM posted on X.

Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar also called upon Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ during his two-day visit to Nepal.

Sharing details regarding his meeting with Jaishankar, Dahal stated that the issues of boundaries and revitalization of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) were discussed with the External Affairs Minister.

Nepal PM said, “While holding the delegation level talks with Mr (S Jaishankar), I raised topics about revitalization of SAARC to the border issues and other trade-related issues and mechanisms which exists in between two nations. I focused on reviving of those mechanisms and start the dialogues to resolve all the issues. I raised these issues while having meeting with Prime Minister Modi during yesterday’s (9 June) meeting and this morning (10 June) while holding talks with Mr (S) Jaishankar, all the mechanisms, including the SAARC should be revived, and start dialogue over the issues. In this relation, there was positive response from the Prime Minister as well as the External Affairs Minister.”

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India set to participate in G7, Ukraine peace summits

The G-7 Summit will be held in Italy from June 13-15, and the Ukraine peace summit will take place in Switzerland from June 15-16….reports Asian Lite News

India will take part in all major summits that advance global peace, security, and development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced, referring to invitations to the G-7 meeting and the Ukraine peace summit next month.

In an interview with PTI, Modi emphasized that India will “resonate the voice of the Global South” at these summits to shape global discourse and promote human-centric development and a prosperous, peaceful world.

“The level of participation will depend on timing, logistics, and parallel commitments,” Modi responded when asked about his attendance at the two multilateral gatherings.

The G-7 Summit will be held in Italy from June 13-15, and the Ukraine peace summit will take place in Switzerland from June 15-16.

Modi stated that the invitations highlight India’s importance and contribution to international affairs, reflecting its philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family).

“India will be participating in all important summits that promote the agenda of global peace, security, and development,” Modi reiterated.

Economic priorities and strategic interests

As India sees robust growth, sweeping reforms, radically improved governance, fiscal discipline, infrastructure progress, rapid digitisation and focus on developing skills, we must recognise that our economic priorities will have to align with our strategic interests, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said.

Addressing the ‘CII Annual Business Summit 2024’ in the capital, EAM Jaishankar said the embassies will continue to extend their fullest support to the economic and employment interests abroad.

The business delegations will continue to accompany him on travels abroad and we “will facilitate business-to-business-to-government (B2B2G) events”.

“Our export promotion efforts, already yielding results, will intensify across the world. The use of credit lines and grants to familiarise the world with our products and capabilities will also deepen,” the minister told the gathering.

EAM Jaishankar said there is the larger branding endeavour of the attractions of “today’s India” that will make a case to the world to the benefits of the partnership.

However, the current times call for something more than business as usual.

“Because trust and reliability have become so important, foreign policy is today charged with creating the comfort levels between governments to make that happen. This is especially so in terms of de-risking supply sources and enhancing collaboration in sensitive, critical and emerging technologies,” the minister emphasised.

EAM Jaishankar mentioned the iCET dialogue with the US, which is a collaborative framework established by India and the US to enhance cooperation in critical and emerging technologies.

“We must recognise that our economic priorities will have to align with our strategic interests, whether we are speaking of market access, investments, technologies, or even education and tourism. This will be even more so as ‘Make in India’ gathers more steam in domains like defence, semiconductors and digital,” the minister noted.

For a long time, India looked at Russia from a political or security perspective. As that country turns eastwards, fresh economic opportunities are presenting themselves.

“The spike in our trade and the new areas of cooperation should not be regarded as a temporary phenomenon. Many other recent partnerships also offer such possibilities, such as those with Australia and with Latin America, in addition to established ones like Indonesia, Africa and West Asia,” the minister elaborated.

From an Indian perspective, said EAM Jaishankar, the time has come to start re-engineering the logistical map of the world.

“Some steps have already been taken, such as the International North-South Transport Corridor that also involves the Chabahar port. A more ambitious project is on the anvil in the form of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which was agreed to during the G20 Summit last September,” the minister further informed.

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G7 Vows Coal Phase-Out by 2035

The participants of the two-day summit focused on measures to eliminate the use of coal and later phase out all fossil fuels…reports Asian Lite News

Environment Ministers from the G7 nations committed themselves to phase out the use of coal by 2035 as part of a wider effort to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of fossil fuels.

Climate, Energy, and Environment Ministers gathered on Tuesday in Reggia di Venaria, just outside the northern Italian city of Turin, for the latest working session for the G7, which is headed by Italy this year, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ministers agreed to a host of energy and climate-related goals, including encouraging the development of renewable energy sources, increased collaboration on energy from nuclear fusion, a reduction in emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases, and to “break away” from Russian imports of natural gas.

The participants of the two-day summit focused on measures to eliminate the use of coal and later phase out all fossil fuels. These measures are part of the nations’ commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

Though the agreement says countries will eliminate coal use by the “first half of the 2030s” — in other words by 2035 — it did allow for that deadline to be changed if it remained on “a timeline consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise within reach”.

That caveat is aimed at giving more flexibility to countries highly reliant on coal power, such as G7 member states Germany and Japan.

The 1.5-degree target compared to pre-industrial levels, which the United Nations target has imposed to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, was again reiterated last year at the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties in Dubai.

The G7’s Climate, Energy, and Environment talks are part of a long series of events organised by the Italian presidency of the G7.

The centerpiece of the summit will take place for heads of state and ministers in the southern Italian region of Apulia on June 13-15.

Italy’s G7 presidency concludes on December 31.

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‘G7 commits to coal phase-out by 2035’

The UK Ministry for Energy and Net Zero corroborated this development when questioned, directing attention to Bowie’s interview…reports Asian Lite News

Ministers representing the Group of Seven (G7) nations have reached a historic agreement to phase out all coal plants by 2035 at the latest, as announced by minister at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Andrew Bowie.

This landmark decision marks a significant breakthrough in climate policy and sets a precedent for other countries to follow suit.

Establishing a timeline to eliminate coal, known as the most environmentally harmful fossil fuel, has sparked intense debate during global climate negotiations. Japan, which sourced 32 per cent of its electricity from coal in 2023, has obstructed advancements on this front during previous G7 summits.

Bowie conveyed the momentousness of the agreement, saying, “We do have an agreement to phase out coal in the first half of the 2030s.” He emphasised the historical significance of this accord, highlighting that similar progress was elusive at COP28 in Dubai the previous year.

“This is, by the way, a historic agreement, something that we weren’t able to achieve at COP28 in Dubai last year,” Bowie remarked during an interview with Class CNBC in Turing, Italy. “So, to have the G7 nations come around the table to send that signal to the world — that we, the advanced economies of the world are committed to phasing out coal by the early 2030s — is quite incredible.”

The UK Ministry for Energy and Net Zero corroborated this development when questioned, directing attention to Bowie’s interview. However, the US State Department declined to comment on the G7 agreement, while the US Environmental Protection Agency unveiled new regulations necessitating coal-fired power plants to capture nearly all of their climate emissions or face closure by 2039.

Dave Jones, the Global Insights program director at Ember, hailed the agreement as a pivotal moment in the fight against coal dependency. “This is another nail in the coffin for coal,” he remarked. “The journey to phase out coal power has been long […] so it’s good to see the United States and especially Japan at last be more explicit on their intentions.”

Jones cautioned against complacency, noting that while coal consumption has declined, the use of natural gas persists. “Coal might be the dirtiest, but all fossil fuels need to be ultimately phased out,” he emphasised.

The decision to phase out coal by 2035 aligns with the broader global effort to address the climate crisis. At COP28 climate talks in Dubai, nearly every nation committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels, although the absence of a definitive end date for coal was viewed as a shortcoming.

Energy, environment, and climate ministers are currently convened in Turin for discussions slated to conclude on Tuesday.

The G7, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union as a special member, traditionally spearheads global climate policy initiatives. (ANI)

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G7 Concludes with High-Stakes Debate on China, Global Affairs

The G7 meeting is being held on the Italian Mediterranean island of Capri….reports Asian Lite News

The spring meeting of the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) economically strong democracies is set to end on Friday with discussions on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and global issues such as food, energy and cybersecurity.

In view of China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Indian Ocean and Pacific region, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had already stated at the start of the meeting that the effects are not only being felt by the G7’s Pacific countries – the United States, Canada and Japan – but also in Europe.

The G7 meeting is being held on the Italian Mediterranean island of Capri.

Italy currently chairs the G7 group. Other members are the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Germany.

The discussions at the meeting on Capri, which has been running since Wednesday evening, were dominated by concerns about the threat of a conflagration in the Middle East following the Iranian attack on Israel last weekend.

It is eagerly awaited how far the G7 ministers will go in their final declarations on the isolation of Tehran, as demanded by Baerbock and others.

The second major G7 topic was the intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and the efforts to strengthen the air defence of the embattled country.

The host of the meeting, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, plans to comment publicly on the results after the end of the consultations.

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Cameron urges G7 to step up support for Ukraine

The G7 has collectively sanctioned close to $300 billion of Russian assets. Without sanctions, it is estimated that Russia would have over $400 billion to finance its war, enough to fund the invasion for another 4 years…reports Asian Lite News

Foreign Secretary David Cameron is travelling will urge his G7 counterparts to keep up the pressure on Putin as he continues to wage his illegal war with Ukraine, UK Foreign Office said in a statement.

During the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Italy, Cameron will reiterate to the G7 the UK’s commitment to Israel’s security and discuss with his counterparts how to de-escalate regional tensions. 

“The Foreign Secretary will make clear that partners in Europe and the G7 must spend more, produce more and deliver more to ensure that Ukraine can secure the victory that it deserves. He will call on G7 partners to work together to agree a clear and ambitious way forward to use sanctioned Russian assets to support Ukraine,” read the statement. “This builds on messaging delivered at the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels earlier this month.”

The G7 has collectively sanctioned close to $300 billion of Russian assets. Without sanctions, it is estimated that Russia would have over $400 billion to finance its war, enough to fund the invasion for another 4 years. 

“Ukraine has our unequivocal support until it is victorious and achieves a just peace,” Cameron said. “It is vital that we agree a way forward to use sanctioned Russian assets to support Ukraine and ensure Russia pays for the destruction it has wreaked.”

The Foreign Secretary will continue to call for the G7 to pilot more ambitious efforts to undermine Russia’s defence industrial complex, including by pushing third countries to counter attempts to circumvent sanctions. He will urge partners to be prepared to act against those who help Russia to supply its war machine. 

Meanwhile, responding to Iran’s failed and dangerous attack on Israel over the weekend, Cameron and his counterparts continue to call for restraint, ask those involved to consider the devastating consequences of an escalation in the conflict.

Cameron will also campaign for coordinated sanctions against Iran, ensuring the G7 shows a united front against Iran’s malign activity in the region. Meetings will also cover a range of other priorities around the world, including a more assertive China, reform of financial systems and irregular migration, according to Foreign Office.

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G7 countries condemn Iran’s air raid on Israel

70 CEOs ask G7 leaders to support net-zero commitments

The G7 leaders vowed to continue working towards stabilising the situation and avoiding further escalation…reports Asian Lite News

Condemning Iran’s retaliatory drone and missile strikes on Israel in response to the attack on its consulate earlier this month, the leaders of the G7 countries said the Islamic nation has further ‘stepped up’ the destabilisation of the region, CNN reported, citing a joint statement released on Sunday after a virtual meeting.

“We express our full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirm our commitment towards its security,” read the statement, adding, “With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilisation of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided.”

According to CNN, the G7 leaders vowed to continue working towards stabilising the situation and avoiding further escalation. “In this spirit, we demand that Iran and its proxies cease their attacks, and we stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilising initiatives,” the statement read further.

The meeting was chaired by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

President of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also shared the details of the G7 meeting on her official X handle, posting, “Today, we, the G7 Leaders, condemned Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel in the strongest terms. We express our solidarity and support to the people of Israel. And reaffirm our commitment towards its security. We’ll continue to work to stabilise the situation.”

Earlier, on Saturday, marking a significant escalation of tensions in West Asia amid the raging conflict between the Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza, Iran unleashed a barrage of projectiles towards Israel in payback for the attack on its embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

In its first direct attack on Israel on Saturday night, Israel launched more than 300 drones and missiles from its territory towards the Jewish state, triggering air raid sirens throughout Israel on Sunday morning as the country’s advanced air defence intercepted and disabled the projectiles that came its way, the Times of Israel reported.

Notably, Iran and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria and Iraq launched more than 300 projectiles at Israel on Saturday night, including dozens of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. (ANI)

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