- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Russia not invited to G8 finance meeting: no offense taken

Russia not invited to G8 finance meeting: no offense taken
Russia not invited to G8 finance meeting: no offense taken - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Russia is not offended by the lack of an invitation to attend a G8 meeting of finance ministers in Canada on February 5-8, Deputy Finance Minister Dmitry Pankin said on Wednesday.

Russia is not offended by the lack of an invitation to attend a G8 meeting of finance ministers in Canada on February 5-8, Deputy Finance Minister Dmitry Pankin said on Wednesday.

Pankin said the G8 meeting of finance ministers without Russia's attendance in Ottawa should not be viewed as a reduced role in the organization that also includes the world's seven most industrialized nations.

"This is not a gauntlet flung down to Russia, not a political action linked with the reduction of Russia's role. This is due to the change of the G8 format. Whereas previously, finance ministers discussed serious issues and adopted some communiques, this time it will only involve chatting," Pankin said.

G8 comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and Russia. The global economic crisis has prompted the leaders of the world's most advanced countries to expand the G8 format and turn it into the group of G20 industrialized and major developing economies to fight effectively the effects of the global financial meltdown.

Russia has repeatedly said that emerging economies should play a bigger role in international finances to avoid the repeat of the ongoing global financial and economic crisis. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently proposed using the Russian ruble as a new regional reserve currency to reduce international dependence on the U.S. dollar.

MOSCOW, January 13 (RIA Novosti)

 

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала