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Sergei Lavrov: Russia is not clinging to G8 format
by Joseph Earnest March 24, 2014
Newscast
Media MOSCOW—Russia is not clinging to the G8 format,
as all major world problems can be discussed at other international venues such as G20, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
"The
G8 is an informal club, no one gives out membership cards and no one
can expel members," Lavrov told a media conference at the Hague. "If our
Western partners believe that this format has exhausted itself, let it
be. We are not clinging to it."
Lavrov also said that many
believe that the G8 has already fulfilled its mission as many issues are
now discussed at the G20 forum.
"Generally speaking, there are also other formats for considering many
questions, including the UN Security Council, the Middle East Quartet
and the P5+1 on the Iranian nuclear problem," Lavrov told journalists.
The
Minister also commented on earlier reports regarding Australia
considering not inviting President Vladimir Putin to the November G20
meeting, which is going to be held in Brisbane.
"The G20 was not
established by Australia, which voiced the proposal not to invite Russia
to the meeting. We created the format all together," Lavrov said.
Russia's
top diplomat is in the Netherlands, where representatives of over 50
states and chiefs of the UN, the EU, the International Atomic Energy
Agency and the European Police Office have gathered for the Nuclear
Security Summit to address the threat of nuclear terrorism.
On
the sidelines of the gathering, Lavrov met with US Secretary of State
John Kerry and yet again discussed the Ukraine question, which has
caused quite a chill in relations between the two powers.
Both Moscow and Washington understand that Ukraine needs constitutional reform, Lavrov said.
"We
discussed the necessity to call on the authorities in Kiev to pay
serious attention to the constitutional reform, which would take into
consideration the interests of all Ukrainian regions," he said.
However,
Lavrov admitted, that it is their evaluation of the situation and they
"cannot impose" this idea on the Ukrainian leadership. Still, it would
be very difficult to overcome the "Ukraine's deep internal crisis"
without such a reform, the Russian minister believes.
Meanwhile,
G7 leaders – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US –
are also holding a gathering at The Hague. According to the media, the
Ukraine issue is high on the agenda. Add
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Source: Al Manar News
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