G7 attempts to strenghten relations with African Union

A 3-day G7 foreign ministers meeting kicked off on April 17 in Italy as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in Middle East were high on the agenda, Reuters reported.

Israel’s attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus as well as Tehran’s direct retaliation strike have been a cause for concern for the international community, who have warned of an escalation in what is an already crisis-laden region. 

The talks are taking place in the Italian island of Capri and are being led by the country’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who welcomed his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Japan. 

The G7 is set to impose fresh sanctions on Iran and have called on the country to “cease its attacks” on Israel. 

The foreign ministers said in a statement on April 19:  “We will hold the Iranian government accountable for its harmful and destabilising actions and we stand ready to take further sanctions or other measures now and in response to further destabilizing initiatives.” 

EU leaders on April 17 unanimously agreed to impose fresh sanctions against the Iranian regime and had already sanctioned the country back in December 2022 for human rights abuses as well as for arming Russia. 

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After over two years since the breakout of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ministers discussed how to get more air defences to Ukraine as the country faces increasing pressure from incessant Russian airstrikes on its energy network. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined the talks on April 18. 

The G7’s relationship with the African Union (AU) was also a key part of this year’s meeting as Mauritanian Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug held a session on April 18. 

The session was held in an attempt to get the G7 to strengthen its relations with the African bloc, who remain divided on whether to sanction both Russia and Iran or not. 

Strongly sanctioned by the west, The Kremlin has been forging closer ties with African countries, notably Mali and Niger, and the country still remains a key part of the BRICS group. 

The AU have also repeatedly spoken about the need to lift sanctions slapped on Zimbabwe and Cuba amongst others by Western countries. 

Reuters