BRUSSELS, April 5. /TASS/. Leaders of the G7 member states plan to discuss the ways to actively involve Russia in the political process in Syria, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Wednesday upon arriving at the Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region.
"Of course, we need Russia, we need it to participate, first and foremost because of its ability to influence (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad," he said. "This is why at the upcoming G7 meeting we will think about the ways to involve the Russians more in the political process." According to Gabriel, "without Russia, as well as without the United States, it will not be possible."
"We are also concerned because the United States has been focusing on the fight against the Islamic State (a terror group outlawed in Russia), accepting that Assad and his regime have been strengthening their position," the German top diplomat. He added that "the political process in Syria is at least as important as the war on terror."
The G7 summit, involving the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, France and Japan, will take place on May 26-27 in Taormina (Sicily).