"It is premature and tactless to speak about G8 membership of this of that country. G8 is developing and it is not serious to predict who is going to join it," Mr. Lavrov told RIA Novosti.
According to him, G8 is an informal mechanism and its members maintain permanent contacts with other countries.
China's representative was invited to the meeting of G8 finance ministers in Washington, he said. G8 summits were also attended by Arab and African leaders, Sergei Lavrov added. "Undoubtedly, there will be additional contacts at the next summits in Great Britain and Russia in 2005 and 2006 correspondingly," the Russian Foreign Minister continued.
In his words, G8 addresses those countries that need its support or those whose importance is growing. "India is among them and we are interested in the growth of its role in the world," Sergei Lavrov stressed.
