The UK’s top diplomat yesterday vowed that the West and its allies would “take a stand against aggressors who seek to undermine liberty.”
British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Liz Truss made the remarks as she is hosting a G7 ministerial summit in Liverpool, England.
The two-day gathering of foreign and development ministers is the last in-person meeting of the UK’s year-long G7 presidency and comes amid rising global tensions.
Photo: AFP
Russia’s buildup of troops on Ukraine’s border was to top the agenda, alongside discussions on confronting China, limiting Iran’s nuclear ambitions and addressing the crisis in military-ruled Myanmar, officials said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken jetted in on Friday, holding talks on the sidelines of the summit with Truss and newly appointed German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock.
Blinken would next week fly out to southeast Asia for a visit designed to highlight the region’s importance in Washington’s strategy of standing up to China.
Ministers from ASEAN member states are to join the summit for the first time ever today, in a session earmarked for wide-ranging talks including on COVID-19 vaccines, finance and gender equality.
Australia, India, South Africa and South Korea would also participate as the UK’s chosen G7 “guests,” with many attendees taking part virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and emergence of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
“This weekend the world’s most influential democracies will take a stand against aggressors who seek to undermine liberty and send a clear message that we are a united front,” Truss said ahead of the summit. “I want G7 countries to deepen ties in areas like trade, investment, technology and security so we can defend and advance freedom and democracy across the world. I will be pushing that point over the next few days.”
Truss, who was appointed to the post in September, on Wednesday delivered her first major foreign policy address as crises loom around the world.
She warned Moscow that it would be “a strategic mistake” to invade Ukraine, following growing concerns over a big Russian troop buildup on the border.
That echoed comments delivered by US President Joe Biden to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a virtual summit the previous day.
Meanwhile, responding to Beijing’s increasing international assertiveness and widespread domestic rights abuses has dominated Britain’s G7 presidency.
Biden pushed at a June leaders’ summit for a stronger collective stance toward China and Russia, and this week Washington, London and Canberra announced diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.
Truss has said that the West needs to work toward ending the “strategic dependence” of a growing number of low and middle-income countries on its adversaries in areas from energy to technology.
At the summit, she would push attendees to provide them with more finance for infrastructure and technology projects, Truss’ office said.
G7 countries and their allies must offer “an alternative to unsustainable debt from non-market economies” like China, it said.
Truss would unveil a UK-led initiative — “the Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator” — to boost collaboration investing in Africa’s “most fragile markets” and help develop “a pipeline of investable opportunities,” the office said. “It will help the G7 to meet its commitment to invest over US$80 billion into the private sector in Africa over the next five years to support sustainable economic recovery and growth.”
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