According to Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, the meeting, the first to be held in person since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be an opportunity to ‘unite open and democratic societies, and demonstrate unity in the face of growing threats.

Among the issues to be addressed will be the relationships with Russia, China, and Iran, the situation in Myanmar after the February coup, violence in Ethiopia and the war in Syria.

The G7 ministers, made up of Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, in addition to a representation of the European Union, will also discuss the response to the health crisis caused by Covid-19 and change climate, among other issues.

During a joint press briefing on Monday, Raab and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made it clear that Russia and China will occupy the bulk of the agenda, although both officials assured that neither Washington nor London wish to come to a direct confrontation with those powers.

The meeting will be also used as a prelude to the summit of the bloc scheduled for June in the English city of Cornwall. This will be Biden’s first trip abroad since he took office in January 2021.

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