G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly

The text of the following statement was released by Kamikawa Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan in her capacity as Chair of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

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In today’s meeting in New York, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the High Representative of the European Union reaffirmed their strong unity in addressing threats to international peace and security. The G7 members reiterated the importance of strengthening the free and open international order based on the rule of law, respecting the United Nations (UN) Charter as the foundation of cooperation among nations. They strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the peacefully established status of territories by force or coercion anywhere in the world. They were committed to working with all UN Member States to strengthen the roles of the UN Secretary-General as well as the UN General Assembly. They also recommitted to the reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC). They reaffirmed their support for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They committed to advancing all of the SDGs, balancing the social, environmental, and economic pillars of sustainable development to promote peace and prosperity for people and the planet, noting the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, now and into the future. To achieve this, they committed to working with a wide range of countries, seeking to listen to the specific challenges they face and act on the issues that matter to them.

Russia’s War of Aggression against Ukraine and Its Global Consequences

More than a year and a half has passed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and despite numerous calls from the international community, including the legally binding order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Russia has not ended hostilities. The G7 members once again reaffirmed their commitment to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and unequivocally condemned in the strongest possible terms Russia’s war of aggression and its violation of international law, including the UN Charter. They strongly condemned the escalation of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Indiscriminate and deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure constitute war crimes. Russia must withdraw its troops and military equipment from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine immediately, completely, and unconditionally.

The G7 members recommitted to providing security, financial, humanitarian, recovery, and reconstruction support. They reaffirmed their intention to work with Ukraine on specific, bilateral, long-term security commitments and arrangements. They will continue to help repair and restore Ukraine’s civil and critical infrastructure as well as to support its domestic reform efforts, especially in the fields of anti-corruption, justice system and promotion of the rule of law, in line with its European path. They welcomed that 29 countries and institutions have already joined and encouraged others to join this endeavor.

The G7 members condemned Russia’s staging of sham “elections” in the illegally occupied territories of Ukraine. Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia oblasts and Crimea are part of Ukraine. They will never recognize Russia’s illegitimate claims to sovereign Ukrainian territory and call on all States to unequivocally reject them.

Recalling the UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/ES-11/6 of February 2023, the G7 members reiterated their determination to support concrete efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, including the further development of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula in line with international law. In this regard, they welcomed successful meetings in Copenhagen and Jeddah. They concurred on the importance of the participants continuing to engage in this process and welcomed additional participants.

Russia’s prolonged war of aggression has not only cost thousands of lives and inflicted immense suffering on the people of Ukraine, but also imperiled access to food and energy across the world, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. In this regard, the G7 members strongly condemned Russia’s unjustified and intensified attacks on Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure in the Black Sea and the Danube. They urged Russia to stop threatening global food security and return to the international framework associated with the UN to resume grain export from Ukraine. They recalled the Hiroshima Action Statement for Resilient Global Food Security, issued by the leaders of the G7 and invited countries. They reiterated their support for Ukraine’s undeniable right to export its grain and foodstuffs through other initiatives, including “the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes”, and its humanitarian maritime corridor. The G7 members are working with nations around the world to enhance global food and energy security, particularly by building resilience to withstand future shocks.

Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and its threat to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are unacceptable. Any use of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences. The G7 members expressed grave concern about Russia’s seizure and continued militarization of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. They urged all countries to support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) efforts to help strengthen nuclear safety and security in Ukraine. In this regard, they expressed support for the five principles announced by IAEA Director General Grossi in May at the UNSC.

The G7 members reiterated their commitment to holding those responsible to account consistent with international law, including by supporting the efforts of international mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court. They supported exploring the creation of an internationalized tribunal based in Ukraine’s judicial system to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

The G7 members remained committed to maintaining and, where appropriate, expanding robust sanctions and other restrictions against Russia. They reiterated their call on third parties to cease any and all assistance to Russia’s war of aggression or face severe costs. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen their coordination to prevent third parties from supplying lethal support including weapons to Russia, and to respond to those that do so. They reaffirmed their commitment that, consistent with their respective legal systems, Russia’s sovereign assets in their jurisdictions will remain immobilized until Russia pays for the damage it has caused Ukraine.

China

The G7 members reaffirmed the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing their concerns directly to China, acknowledging the need to work together with China on global challenges as well as areas of common interest. They continue to be prepared to build constructive and stable relations with China. The G7 members called on China to engage with them, including in international fora, on areas such as the climate, biodiversity crises, vulnerable countries’ debt sustainability and financing needs, global health, and macroeconomic stability. They emphasized that economic resilience requires de-risking and diversifying where necessary and appropriate. With a view to enabling sustainable economic relations with China, and strengthening the international trading system, they will continue to push for a level playing field for their workers and companies. They called on China to act in accordance with its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and not to conduct interference activities aimed at undermining the security and safety of their communities, the integrity of their democratic institutions and their economic prosperity.

The G7 members reiterated that China has a responsibility to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. They remained seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. They strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. They reemphasized the universal and unified character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reaffirmed that UNCLOS sets out the legal framework that governs all activities in the oceans and the seas. They reiterated that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea and opposed China’s militarization and other provocative activities in the region.

The G7 members also reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community, and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. There is no change in the basic position of the G7 members on Taiwan, including stated one China policies. They reiterated their support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.

The G7 members called on China to press Russia to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine. They welcomed China’s participation in the Ukraine-led meeting in Jeddah and further encouraged China to support a just and lasting peace, including through its direct dialogue with Ukraine.

The G7 members remained concerned about the human rights situation in China, including in Xinjiang and Tibet. They also called on China to honor its commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, which enshrine rights, freedoms, and a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong.

Indo-Pacific and Beyond

The G7 members reiterated the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive, prosperous, secure, and based on the rule of law, and that protects shared principles including sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes, fundamental freedoms, and human rights. They reaffirmed their unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity and their commitment to promoting cooperation with ASEAN Member States in line with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. They also underscored their partnership with Pacific Island countries, supporting their priorities and needs in accordance with the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. The G7 members reiterated their commitment to support sustainable, inclusive, resilient and quality infrastructure in partner countries through the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII).

The G7 members welcomed Japan’s safe, transparent, and science-based process to responsibly manage the discharge of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water, in proactively coordinating with scientists and partners particularly from across the IndoPacific region as well as with the IAEA, which concluded that Japan’s process is consistent with relevant international safety standards and that the discharge will have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.

The G7 members strongly condemned North Korea’s continuing expansion of its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs and its escalation of destabilizing activities. This includes the failed space launch in August that used ballistic missile technology in flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). The G7 members reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea and demanded North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner in accordance with all relevant UNSCRs. They shared concerns that the Russia-North Korea cooperation could lead to violation of the relevant UNSCRs and could also undermine peace and security of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. They called on all UN Member States to fully and effectively implement all relevant UNSCRs and urged the UNSC members to follow through on their commitments. They also deplored North Korea’s systematic human rights violations. They urged North Korea to cooperate with the United Nations and comply with its international obligations, including with respect to human rights, and resolve the abductions issue immediately.

The G7 members voiced their concern about recent developments in the Sahel. They condemned the attempted military takeover in Niger, called for the release of President Bazoum and the return to constitutional order, and expressed full support to the diplomatic efforts undertaken by ECOWAS, the African Union, and other regional actors. They reiterated their commitment to peace, stability, and good governance in the region, and the need to tackle the deep roots of and underlying conditions of instability related to terrorism, and irregular migration.

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