G-7 saved G-20 by agreeing to Declaration: German envoy

G-7 saved G-20 by agreeing to Declaration: German envoy

Context 

German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann said on Tuesday that the G-7 countries’ approval of the draft declaration allowed them to “save” the G-20 from an early demise. He rejected claims made by a number of nations, including Ukraine, that the Western nations, which include the G-7 and the EU, had completely “compromised” their position on Russia and Ukraine.

What are G7 countries?

  • The Group of Seven (G7) is a loose political alliance of the most developed nations. The G7 nations are the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
  • Additionally, the G7 includes the European Union (EU) as a non-enumerated member.
  • Established in 1975, the G7. The first summit took place in the Chateau de Rambouillet, which is located outside of Paris, in November 1975. The G7 meets once a year to talk about topics like international security, energy policy, and global economic control. The G7 summits offer a forum for forming political responses to international problems.
  • The G7 was formerly known as the G8, but after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, it was not invited.

How did the G7 grouping help G20 summit?

  • Accepting the proposed Declaration: 
      • A subset of the G-20, the G-7 nations, accepted the proposed statement for the meeting.
      • The summit’s successful continuation depended on their acceptance of this declaration.
  • Preventing a Summit Devoid of a Declaration: 
      • This declaration highlights the significance of the G-20 summit declaration.
      • It implies that in the absence of a declaration, the G-20 summit might have faced serious difficulties and even been viewed as a failure.
  • Ensure the Relevance of the G-20:
    • The G-7’s willingness to work together and ratify the draft declaration contributed to keeping the G-20 relevant and significant as a global platform.
    • Its sustained success is important for global governance since the G-20 is one of the few forums where leaders from advanced nations (G-7) and emerging economies may interact.

Why was getting a Declaration passed so important for the summit?

  • Ackermann emphasized that the G-20 is a crucial international forum.
  • He suggested that a summit without an agreed-upon declaration would have been detrimental to the G-20’s future.

How do the Ukraine see the declaration? 

  • The New Delhi Declaration disappointed the foreign ministry of Ukraine.
  • They pointed out that despite his request in a letter to the Indian Prime Minister, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had not received an invitation to the G-20.