MOSCOW, July 26 (RIA Novosti) – Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper in his editorial published in Globe and Mail on Saturday expressed doubts that the G8 format will ever be revived.
“…it is difficult to foresee any circumstance under which Mr. Putin’s Russia could be readmitted to the family of G7 nations,” Harper wrote.
According to Canada’s leader, Moscow’s actions in the Ukrainian crisis showed that Russia does not share the values of G7.
Russia joined G7 in 2008 and was supposed to host G8 summit in Sochi on June 4-5, 2014. Late March, during a nuclear security meeting in the Hague leaders of the seven world powers decided to suspend G8 and refused to attend the Sochi summit due to Crimea’s reunification with Russia and Moscow’s stand on the situation in Ukraine.
Earlier in June, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow was not considering the return to G8, saying that «there is no such format at the moment, so there is no issue for discussion.” He noted, however, that “Russia is open for cooperation. If our partners send certain signals, then we will have what to discuss." Peskov stressed that despite the suspension of G8, Russia will continue to participate in the work of G20.
In his editorial Harper urged Moscow to reconsider its policy on Ukraine, in particular, to influence independence supporters in eastern regions of the conflict-torn country to lay down arms and agree to a ceasefire. The Canadian Prime Minister also emphasized the importance of conducting an independent investigation of the Malaysian plane crash near Donetsk.
Relations between Russia and Canada were strained over the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine, where a regime change resembling a military coup took place late February. After the ouster of president Victor Yanukovich, citizens of Ukraine’s former republic of Crimea held referendum where the majority of population voted for reunification with Russia. In response to the move Canada and a number of other Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian officials and entities.
