MAINZ, Germany – Traditional German folklore will greet President Barack Obama and his counterparts from Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the U.K. when they arrive at Munich’s airport to attend the G-7 summit this weekend.
As German chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin this week in typical understatement: “We have an ambitious agenda for the intensive talks.”
WHAT ARE THE MAIN TOPICS ON THE AGENDA?
Officials say that the two-day G-7 summit, will focus on issues such as the fight against terrorism (in particular combating ISIS in Iraq and Syria), the nuclear pact being negotiated with Iran, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and international trade agreements — such as Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between Europe and the United States and Asia-U.S. Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
“The question [of] how to contain, to press Russia, to have a more lenient approach in Ukraine is the most important topic,” Henning Riecke from the German Council of Foreign Relations in Berlin told NBC News.
“Another issue is of course Iran, where [the U.S. and Germany] work side by side to bring about a compromise,” he added.
The refugee crisis in the Mediterranean and the wars in Syria and Iraq will also be discussed.
WILL OTHER ISSUES BE HIGHLIGHTED?
So called sustainable development goals are also on the agenda, according to a recent editorial penned by Merkel, as is worldwide hunger.
“I am convinced that the G-7 should now commit to eliminating hunger and absolute poverty by 2030,” she wrote.
Protecting the world’s environment is also a major goal for the host nation, with Germany looking to limit the increase in average global temperature to two degrees with binding agreements to reduce emissions worldwide.
Health-related issues are also central points for Germany, like a special focus on tropical diseases and the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
Merkel has also pledged to discuss how to increase work and professional possibilities for women, saying they should be given the chance of vocational training, especially in developing countries.
WHY IS PUTIN NOT INVITED?
Until last year, the G-7 included Russia and was thus called the G-8. But the June, 2014, summit was held without President Vladimir Putin to protest the country’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region. With little sign of the fighting in eastern Ukraine ending despite a ceasefire deal agreed in Minsk more than three months ago, the exclusion has continued for a second year.