- G7 turns into 'talking shop' for West leaders — British expert
- Tokyo says G7 countries understand Japan’s plans to develop contacts with Russia
- Putin prefers to focus on more efficient formats than G7 — press secretary
- G7 ready to toughen sanctions on Russia if needed — Merkel
- Kremlin regrets G7 has not called on all Minsk-2 signatories to comply with agreements
- BRICS will soon surpass G7 in terms of GDP — lawmaker
MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/. The G7 group of the world’s leading nations is unable within its format to elaborate decisions on the most topical issues of global policy and economy, a senior Russian senator said on Wednesday.
Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the International Affairs Committee at the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament, made this statement while commenting on the results of the recent G7 summit held in Germany.
The G7 summit has showed that this grouping increasingly "works in the format of a ‘close circle’ rather than generates any decisions important for humankind," the Russian senator said.
"But this was the mission the G7 sought for some time," Kosachyov said, adding "the G7 is clearly failing to cope with this task."
"The real problems confronting humankind are clearly not resolved by this group, be it the issues of the financial and economic crisis in the world, the conflict of civilizations or new challenges and threats, including the main threat [the Islamic State terrorist organization," the Russian senator said.
"A basis is needed broader" than the G7 group to look for solutions on the most pressing global issues, Kosachyov said.
The formats developing in parallel rather than offering an alternative include the BRICS grouping of the world’s leading emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the G20 Group of the world’s advanced and major emerging economy countries and other structures "where cooperation is not built according to the principle that all equals praise each other from the outset and for this equal status."
The positions of the G7 participants "are understood even without the need for holding a summit and do not require any additional coordination," the Russian senator said.
Nevertheless, Russia should not have any inferior complexes over the G7’s work without Russia’s participation, the senator said.
"Russia has a sufficient number of other formats where it can fully demonstrate its own global responsibility in the context of resolving global problems and these formats are becoming increasingly necessary," the Russian senator said.