Heads of diplomacy from major world democracies gathered in a joint statement condemning global opponents such as Iran and North Korea and calling on Russia and China to remember their security commitments to the United Nations.
After two days of meetings, Group of 7 (G7) officials released a lengthy statement on Friday in a speech to its key geopolitical challengers, warning them to adhere to international law.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, right, meet for bilateral talks at the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Muenster, Germany on Friday, November 4, 2022.
(Photo AP / Martin Meissner, Pool)
“We once again call on Russia to immediately stop its war of aggression against Ukraine and to withdraw all its forces and military equipment,” the group said before accusing Moscow of “terrorizing” Ukrainian civilians and of engaging in “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric”.
THE PENTAGON DEFENDS THE CUT OF THE NUCLEAR MISSILE PROGRAM IN THE NATIONAL DEFENSE STRATEGY AMONG THE RUSSIAN TENSION
The G7 said on Friday it had created a “coordination mechanism” to help Kiev repair, restore and defend its critical infrastructure system which was partly decimated by Iranian-supplied drones that Tehran gave to Moscow.
The alliance pledged to continue hitting Iran with international sanctions for its military aid to Russia and called on Tehran to cease involvement not only in the deadly war but also in gross human rights abuses at home.
“We strongly condemn Iran’s continuing destabilizing activities in and around the Middle East,” the statement continues. “These include Iran’s activities with ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ie drones, and transfers of such advanced weapons to state and non-state actors.”
Police officers shoot a drone during a Russian drone attack, which local authorities consider Iranian-made Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles during the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine on October 17, 2022.
(REUTERS / Vadim Sarakhan / Archive photo)
Iran was not the only nation to be sued for its illegal arms business.
G7 leaders also condemned North Korea’s historic use of missiles this week and the failed attempt to test another ICBM launch as the US and South Korea engage in joint military exercises.
The United States extended military exercises Thursday after Pyongyang threatened to make “the most horrible price in history” in Washington and Seoul and launched at least 23 missiles into South Korea after launching an intermediate-range ballistic missile overhead. Japan for the first time in five years earlier this month, a move the G7 on Friday condemned as “reckless”.
PUTIN ALLY SAYS TAIWAN WILL ‘RETURN’ TO CHINA
“We reiterate our request that the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, “the group said.
Regional alliances over Russia’s war in Ukraine have seen a renewed divide on Asia’s eastern front between Japan, North and South Korea, and China.
G7 diplomats again warned China against interfering in the regional status quo and called on it to “refrain from threats, coercion, intimidation or use of force”.
Clockwise from left, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Ghana Alfred Mutua, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Ghana Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly Foreign Minister, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly, African Union Commission Vice President Monique Nsanzabaganwa and representative of the EU Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell pose for a photo at the Historic Town Hall during the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Muenster, Germany, on Friday 4 November 2022.
(Bernd Lauter / Pool photo via AP)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The statement said top leaders remained “seriously concerned about the situation in and around the East and South China Sea” following Beijing’s aggressive stance towards Taiwan earlier this year.
The strong language of the G7 towards China reflects sentiments resumed by the United States last month when it listed Beijing as a top security concern, saying it will continue to engage diplomatically with the Asian superpower.
