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UN chief has no position on Russia’s possible joining G7

This decision is up to the members of the current G7 to make, the UN Secretary-General spokesman said

UNITED NATIONS, August 26. /TASS/. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres refrains from comments on Russia’s possible reinstatement into the group of leading industrial nations, St·phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said on Monday.

"Whether it's G7 or G8, the Secretary General is not in there. That decision is up to the members of the current G7 to make," he said in reply to a TASS question.

Read also

G7 summit results reveal fragility of this format, says Russian expert

The Group of Seven (G7), an informal bloc of countries with the world’s largest economies, has been existing since 1976 to bring together the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, France and Japan. In 1997, it was renamed the Group of Eight (G8) after Russia joined the club. In 2014, Western countries decided to return to the G7 format in the wake of the developments in Ukraine and the deterioration of relations with Russia.

US President Donald Trump told reporters on August 20 that "it’s much more appropriate to have Russia in" [the G8]. However, a European diplomatic source told TASS on August 22 the European Union is against Russia’s return to the group until the Minsk agreements are ultimately implemented.

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