Roundup: G7 summit ends in disputes
In the closing news conference of the G7 summit, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the discussions over the past two days were marked by a range of differing opinions.
CALGARY, Canada, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven (G7) summit wrapped up in Canada on Tuesday with no joint communique but some stark frictions.
Several statements, or the leaders' commitments, were issued after the summit, which included driving secure, responsible and trustworthy AI adoption across public and private sectors, powering AI now and into the future, and closing digital divides; boosting cooperation to unlock the full potential of quantum technology to grow economies, solve global challenges and keep communities secure.
The attendees also committed to mounting a multilateral effort to better prevent, fight and recover from wildfires, which are on the rise around the world; protecting the rights of everyone in society, and the fundamental principle of state sovereignty, by continuing to combat foreign interference, with a focus on transnational repression; and countering migrant smuggling by dismantling transnational organized crime groups.
In his final remarks at the closing news conference, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the discussions over the past two days were marked by a range of differing opinions, frank conversations and strategic exchanges.
"There is a great amount of direct dialogue and discussion, very frank exchanges, very strategic exchanges, differences of opinion on a number of issues, but an effort to find common solutions to some of these problems," said Carney, also chair of this year's summit.
He said this is particularly valuable "at a time when multilateralism is under great strain."
There was no joint statement on Ukraine, although Carney announced new Canadian support for Ukraine's defense and another set of sanctions on Russia. Carney invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to attend the event in person and made support for the country one of the summit's key discussion topics on Tuesday.
Leaders met for the final day of the summit in Kananaskis in Canada's province of Alberta without U.S. President Donald Trump, who suddenly left Canada on Monday night, saying that escalations in the Middle East forced his early exit from the G7 event.
As he left, the summit published a statement that the resolution of the Iranian crisis can lead to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, even a ceasefire in Gaza.
The remaining G7 leaders had a working lunch with visiting non-G7 leaders on energy security. In the statement, the leaders said that they remain vigilant to the implications of the Iran-Israel aerial conflict for international energy markets and that they will stand ready to coordinate to safeguard market stability.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in downtown Calgary and Banff during the summit, calling on the summit to address a variety of issues, including Trump's threat to annex Canada.
Originally scheduled to begin on the weekend, the summit was shortened to two days and officially started on Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday that next year's summit will take place in Evian, a French spa town known for its mineral water.
The G7 is an informal bloc comprising seven of the world's advanced economies -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States -- along with the European Union. ■