G7 agrees on migration, refugees and Russia
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
28.05.2017 08:40
The Group of Seven (G7) has agreed on migration and refugees and has taken a joint stance on Russia, but the US did not see eye to eye with the rest of the group on climate change.
Photo: European Council President Donald Tusk, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. Photo: EPA/Tiberio Barchielli.
The leaders of the world's most economically advanced countries – the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy and France – aim to help refugees “as close to their home countries as possible,” while promising to uphold human rights.
That echo's comments by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who has said Poland would make efforts to support refugees in their home countries, and that the forcible relocation of asylum seekers was "a plain violation of human rights".
The G7 leaders also said: “The ongoing large-scale movement of migrants and refugees is a global trend that, given its implications for security and human rights, calls for coordinated efforts at the national and international level.”
They said it was necessary to take steps to reduce illegal migration while fighting people smuggling, human trafficking, extortion and slavery.
Agreement on Russia
The G7 also agreed on Russia, warning that the country that it could face additional punishment if the situation worsens in Ukraine.
The G7 leaders condemned Russia for its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and said Russia was responsible for the conflict in Ukraine.
They said that the terms of Minsk ceasefire deals needed to be met for sanctions to be lifted against Russia.
Agree to disagree
The G7 was unable to come to an agreement on climate change, which US President Donald Trump has in the past called a hoax.
But Trump promised to come to a decision on whether the US would remain a party to the Paris agreement on limiting greenhouse gas emissions next week. (vb)