HIROSHIMA /Japan/, May 20. /TASS/. The Group of Seven (G7) countries released a final joint statement on Saturday, the day before the end of the group’s summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

TASS has summarized the key messages of the document.

Ukraine

The G7 mentioned Ukraine in several provisions of the statement, including those related to China, but only one short paragraph of the 40-page document is dedicated directly to the Ukrainian crisis. The G7 nations said they committed to intensifying their "diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine, to increasing the costs to Russia and those supporting" Moscow in the conflict.

On Friday, the G7 leaders adopted a special statement on Ukraine, specifying their position on the issue, including on sanctions against Russia.

China

The Group of Seven countries expressed readiness to build constructive and stable relations with China, "recognizing the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China."

"Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China’s economic progress and development," the G7 leaders said. However, they "will seek to address the challenges posed by China’s non-market policies and practices."

Besides, the G7 leaders expressed concern about the situation in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, including unilateral attempts to change the status quo.

The G7 also reaffirmed "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community." "There is no change in the basic positions of the G7 members on Taiwan, including stated one China policies," the statement said.

The Group of Seven also called on China to press Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

Global South

The G7 leaders noted that they would work with their "international partners to achieve a world that is human-centered, inclusive and resilient, leaving no one behind." "In that spirit, we welcomed the participation of the Leaders of Australia, Brazil, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, and Vietnam," they added.

Nuclear issues

The G7 nations expressed their "commitment to achieving a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all, through taking a realistic, pragmatic, and responsible approach." They also called for the peaceful use of nuclear energy and reaffirmed "the importance of disarmament and non-proliferation efforts to create a more stable and safer world."

"The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and the foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy," the G7 leaders noted.

Other issues

The statement also touched upon a number of other international issues. In particular, the G7 leaders:

• reiterated "the critical importance of continued and scaled-up implementation of the UN and Turkey-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI)," while expressing concern over Russia’s activities in this regard;
• recognized "the need to maintain the availability, affordability and accessibility of fertilizers;"
• condemned North Korea’s missile launches and urged Pyongyang to accept offers of dialogue;
• called on Israel and Palestine to "refrain from unilateral actions, including settlement activities and incitement to violence;"
• reaffirmed their "engagement with Central Asian countries to address various regional challenges;"
• welcomed "the Agreement on the path to normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia;"
• reiterated their "strong commitment to working together with all relevant actors to counter all forms of terrorism and violent extremism;"
• and called on the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) "to uphold its counterterrorism commitments.".