G7 summit ready to convene again without Russia

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN , Germany, June 5 (UPI) -- The weekend's G7 conference in Germany will be the second consecutive conference from which Russia is excluded.

While leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, Italy and Germany meet in a castle at Garmisch-Partenirchen, Germany, Russia remains uninvited for the second year in a row. Last year's summit, in Russia, was cancelled to protest Russia's annexation of Crimea and its alleged military involvement in Ukraine, and the G8 has been the G7 since. Russia became a part of the summit of industrialized nations in 1998.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently said Moscow would not regain its welcome unless Russia was to "recognize the basic values of international law and act accordingly." Other world leaders, notably Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, have adamantly refused to allow Russia's return.

German Foreign Minister Franz-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday, though, consideration should be given to allow Russia to eventually return.

"I believe that we cannot have an interest in keeping the G-7 format a G-7 format in the long term. A look at the world shows that we need Russia as a constructive partner in a number of conflicts," notably the conflicts in the Middle East, he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov appeared to reject Steinmeier's idea Thursday, noting, "The G8 format was not always that productive, working in the BRICS (an alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and G20 (the "Group of 20" leading international economies) is much more interesting for us."

The G7 meetings, typically a magnet for protest, will take place Sunday and Monday. Over 30,000 protesters have already convened in southern Germany.