MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia’s inclusion in G7 meetings will be discussed at the group’s upcoming summit despite the fact that the country’s participation has been suspended over its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Merkel told Deutsche Welle on Friday that "Russia remains an important partner in other discussion formats," adding that the participants in the upcoming G7 summit "will also be discussing how Russia can be included [in the Group of Seven]."
The 41st G7 summit is scheduled to take place in the Bavarian Elmau Castle, outside Munich, on June 7-8, 2015. Russia, which previously was a member of the club, did not receive an invitation to participate in the meeting of the world’s largest economies.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the nation cannot be dropped from the Group since it is an informal club to discuss issues of mutual interest.
Merkel argued on Friday that "Russia has not made further progress in the past few years toward adopting many of the ideas that we share in the G7."
The German Chancellor did point out, however, that Russia has played an important role in Ukraine reconciliation talks, the talks on the Iranian nuclear program and the removal of chemical weapons from Syria.
The G7 comprises the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and the United States.
The leaders of Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom and France plan to hold bilateral meetings at the upcoming G7 summit.
