G7 members ready to take further restrictive measures should Russia’s actions so require G7 member countries may consider stiffening sanctions against the Russian Federation over its violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty."We reiterate our enduring support for Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. This includes our non-recognition of Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," G7 foreign ministers said in a joint communique on April 23, Censor.NET reports. "We decry the degraded human rights situation in the peninsula, and the violations and abuses committed against its population by Russia in Crimea. We fully support the efforts within the Normandy format and of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for a solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. We are convinced that the only way a sustainable solution to the conflict can be reached is through the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. Given Russia’s responsibility in the conflict, we urge Russia to stabilize the security situation in the Donbas without delay. We recall that the duration of Donbas-related economic sanctions is clearly linked to Russia’s complete and irreversible implementation of the Minsk Agreements. These sanctions can be rolled back only if Russia truly fulfills its commitments, but we also stand ready to take further restrictive measures should Russia’s actions so require," the ministers stressed. Read more: Trump on punishment for Russias support of Syrias chemical attack: "Well do sanctions as soon as they very much deserve it" "We are committed to protecting and promoting the rules-based international system. This stands against the background of a pattern of irresponsible and destabilizing Russian behaviour, including interference in countries’ democratic systems. We call on Russia to cease this behaviour, which is highly detrimental to prospects for constructive cooperation. We urge Russia to live up to its international obligations, as well as its responsibilities as a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC), to uphold international peace and security. Notwithstanding, we will continue to engage with Russia on addressing regional crises and global challenges. We will continue to bolster our capabilities to address hybrid threats, including in the areas of cybersecurity, strategic communications and counter-intelligence. We welcome national action taken to constrain Russian hostile-intelligence activity and to enhance our collective security. We will remain closely focused on this issue and its implications in anticipation of our Leaders’ Summit," the statement reads. "We are appalled by the re-emergence of chemical weapons use in the Middle East, Asia and now Europe. Noting the G7 leaders’ statement of April 16, we are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the use of chemical weapons in the April 7 attack in Eastern Ghouta, Syria. We fully support all efforts made by the United States, the United Kingdom and France to alleviate the extreme suffering of the Syrian people by degrading the Assad regime’s ability to use chemical weapons and to deter any future use, as demonstrated by their action taken on April 13. This response was limited, proportionate and necessary—and taken only after exhausting every possible diplomatic option to uphold the international norm against the use of chemical weapons. We condemn the repeated and morally reprehensible use of chemical weapons in Syria by the Syrian regime and by Daesh, as confirmed by successive reports of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW-UN) Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM). We condemn this deliberate strategy of terrorizing local populations and forcing them into submission. We regret that Russia has vetoed the renewal of the mandate of the JIM and also vetoed the recent UNSC draft resolution, which aimed to establish an independent investigative mechanism for the use of chemical weapons in Syria," FMs said. Read more: Russian state-run TV channel faces seven probes over fantasies around nerve agent attack in Salisbury "We reiterate our joint statement of April 16 on the Salisbury attack. We are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the attack that took place in Salisbury, United Kingdom (U.K.), on March 4, 2018. This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War and is a grave challenge not only to the security of the U.K. but also to our shared security. It is an assault on U.K. sovereignty. Any use of chemical weapons by a state party under any circumstances is a clear breach of international law and a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The OPCW has now independently confirmed the U.K.’s findings relating to the identity of the toxic chemical that was used in Salisbury. We share, and agree with, the U.K.’s assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation was responsible for the attack, and that there is no plausible alternative explanation. We call on Russia to urgently address all questions related to the incident in Salisbury. Russia should provide full and complete disclosure of its previously undeclared Novichok programme to the OPCW in line with its international obligations. We call on Russia to live up to its Chemical Weapons Convention obligations, as well as its responsibilities as a permanent member of the UNSC to uphold international peace and security," G7 foreign ministers said.Источник: https://en.censor.net.ua/n3062923
