'Diplomacy is back': G7 ministers meet

"There's nothing quite like being face-to-face, or mask-to-mask," quipped US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as a three-day meeting of foreign ministers from the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies got underway in London on Monday.

Like the rest of us, G7 foreign ministers have been holding meetings online since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with this week's talks marking the first opportunity for representatives of the group of industrialized nations to meet face-to-face in over two years.

Speaking to DW, Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was slightly more scathing. "It's not nice," he said, referring to the regular COVID-19 testing, the dividing Perspex screens and the social distancing enforced by host nation Britain, "but it's better than sitting in front of a screen."

Indeed, virtual diplomacy is no match for the real thing, with summits often as much about what happens informally on the sidelines as in the formal talks.

In that vein, it was one such bilateral meeting between British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that sparked a long out of reach breakthrough — with the UK offering the EU's ambassador to the UK full diplomatic status. The agreement settling a month-long dispute over whether the ambassador would be given full formal recognition post-Brexit.

G7 hits out at Russia, China

But it was remarks scolding China and Russia that took center stage in the 12,400-word joint communique, released as the meeting concluded.

Ministers called on China to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms."

They said they were "deeply concerned about human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang and in Tibet, especially the targeting of Uyghurs, members of other ethnic and religious minority groups," also urging an end to the targeting of rights protesters in Hong Kong.

While on Russia, members condemned what they called "irresponsible and destabilizing behavior" from Moscow by amassing troops on the Ukrainian border, "malicious cyber-activity," disinformation, and malign intelligence activity.

While little in the way of concrete action was included, it achieved one goal — this statement was about putting forward a united front, not just from the G7, but from a wider, like-minded alliance.

Revitalizing diplomacy

The foreign ministers' talks were billed as an opportunity to "revitalize" diplomacy. To show that the G7 still has clout and to reassert itself with the support of a new US administration at the helm after four years of a lukewarm attitude to multilateralism under the Trump presidency.

As UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab put it, ministers were keen to demonstrate "diplomacy is back."

In the face of the increasingly assertive stances of Russia and China, US Secretary of State Blinken said standing together to defend "democratic values and open societies" and uphold "the international rules-based order" was key.

It was with that in mind that the UK expanded the guest list to this week's meetings to include non-G7 members: India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brunei, the current chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) — a move which, according to international affairs think-tank Chatham House represented a step forward in tackling global challenges.

"The G7 has the chance to demonstrate that it remains an important and relevant institution in today's geopolitical environment, where the rise of China as the world's second most powerful country, while also being a one-party autocracy, presents all sorts of challenges to liberal democracies," said Robin Niblett, director and chief executive of Chatham House.

"If they [democracies] are to remain strong in the 21st century, they need to band together again around a modern and more inclusive agenda."

Niblett added: "It is essential for the G7's credibility and effectiveness, that going forward it is the core of a more inclusive group of countries committed to similar objectives, than those currently represented by the seven members."

Solidarity to tackle global issues

Alongside China and Russia, ministers also discussed the spiraling crisis in Myanmar, the detention of foreign and dual nationals they said were being held arbitrarily in Iran as well as Syria, Afghanistan and Libya.

The fight against climate change and the pandemic were also on the agenda, amid calls for an increase in funding to help developing nations scale up their COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.

While ministers pledged to financially support the vaccine-sharing program, COVAX, they stopped short of announcing fresh funding, even as COVID-19 struck the heart of the meeting itself.

Two members of India's delegation tested positive, forcing Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his entire team into self-isolation and serving as a stark reminder of the unfolding catastrophe in India.

Undoubtedly questions will also be asked about what this means for major diplomatic talks in future after this unfortunate end to the G7's inaugural in-person meeting.

This week's talks lay the groundwork for a G7 leaders' summit next month in Cornwall in southern England, where US President Joe Biden will make his international debut.

While this meeting was a step towards the sought-after diplomatic fresh start, it was perhaps not the clean sheet they hoped for.

Looking forward to next month it's plain that despite its advantages, in-person talks raise major concerns and may still end in the computer-screen communication it seems are no longer in favor with Germany's foreign minister.