G7 leaders to meet in UK on Friday

By Gokhan Kurtaran

LONDON (AA) - The first in-person meeting of the leaders of G7 nations in nearly two years will start on Friday in the UK, with the focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, global geopolitical risks, and climate change.

At the three-day summit in the coastal Cornwall region, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to call on the G7 leaders to cooperate in order to bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the weekend Johnson said he would ask his counterparts to commit to vaccinating the world against COVID-19 by the end of next year.

"I am calling on my fellow G7 leaders to join us to end this terrible pandemic and pledge will we never allow the devastation wreaked by coronavirus to happen again," he said.

Additionally, the UK aims to give a message of cooperation on greener solutions with the picturesque Cornwall region, which is seen as central to the UK's green technology sector.

The summit agenda is also expected to include topics such as supporting free and fair trade and boosting cybersecurity, a hot topic in the wake of recent high-profile cyberattacks in the US.

The finance ministers of G7 countries on Saturday also agreed on a global minimum corporate tax of at least 15% for multinational corporations in each country where they operate.

The G7 is an organization made up of the world's seven largest advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US.

The G7 nations meet every year under the leadership of a country to evaluate the economic agenda, create common policies, and strengthen cooperation.

Guest country leaders invited to this year’s summit include Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

*Writing by Yunus Girgin in Ankara