The reassurance of the Japanese presidency in office. And Blinken calls for “unity” on the Middle East conflict
The G7 in Tokyo starts with a reassurance to Ukraine, which also sees the conflict between Israel and Hamas on the table. Support for Kiev will not be undermined by the intensification of the conflict in the Middle Eastsaid Japan, the rotating president, in advance of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers, meeting in Tokyo today and tomorrow, with Dmytro Kuleba, via video link.
“Our commitment to continue strict sanctions against Russia and to provide decisive support for Ukraine – declared the head of diplomacy in Tokyo, Yoko Kamikawa – is not questioned in any way, even if the situation in the Middle East becomes intensifies.” Message reiterated by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, after meeting his Japanese counterpart: the support for Ukraine from the G7 is lasting and will be a crucial point of the meeting in which, however, the war in the Middle East and the need to a pause in fighting and humanitarian access to Gaza.
Kamikawa underlined the “solid unity”, not exhibited in recent facts and declarations, among the Group countries also on this issue. However, some form of declaration on the issue will emerge from the summit, the minister specified. The G7 countries recognize that Russia is ready to continue its war for Ukraine over time and this requires lasting military and economic support for Kiev. One of the proposals being considered by the group now is to introduce sanctions in the diamond sector.
Blinken and the call for unity on the Israel-Hamas war
US Secretary of State Blinken for his part asked the G7 member countries to show “unity” and speak with a “clear voice” on the war between Israel and Hamas in view of the Foreign Ministers’ summit which began today.
Upon his arrival in the Asian country, where he met Kamikawa, Blinken underlined that it is a “moment of vital importance” for the G7 in the face of the serious crisis affecting the Middle East. “It’s always nice to return to Japan and now is especially important. We are grateful to the Japanese leadership of the G7, especially at this time,” he said, according to a State Department statement.
Blinken expressed appreciation for the position taken by Tokyo in the face of the “terrifying attack perpetrated by Hamaswhich left American victims and hostages.” “We must unite in the face of this crisis and speak, as we usually do, with a clear voice,” he said.
Kamikawa, for his part, stressed that Japan “undoubtedly condemns Hamas’s attack on Israel” and “supports the United States’ efforts to reach a solution to the crisis.” Likewise, she warned that the international community “is faced with numerous challenges, including the situation in Ukraine or East Asia, among others.”
Source-www.adnkronos.com