OREANDA-NEWS. April 05, 2010. A meeting of G8 Foreign Ministers took place on 29-30 in Gatineau (Canada). It was attended by Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The meeting examined the forum’s political agenda in preparation for the summit in Myskoka.

The heads of the foreign affairs agencies strongly condemned the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Moscow on March 29. A special statement was adopted, which, along with an expression of condolence and solidarity with Russia, underscored the determination of the group to bring the criminals to justice. On Russia’s initiative, the meeting took decision to prepare for the June summit, a special plan of action to enhance the G8’s contribution to global counterterrorism efforts, including through revitalizing the activities of the Rome/Lyon Group and the Counterterrorism Action Group.

Much attention at the meeting was paid to WMD non-proliferation and various aspects of building a nuclear-free world. The decision adopted at the end of this discussion notes that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) remains the cornerstone of nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The willingness was expressed to work together to ensure the success of the upcoming NPT Review Conference.

The ministers welcomed the conclusion of the Russian-US negotiations on further reduction of nuclear arsenals, describing the event as an important step towards a world without nuclear weapons.

It was agreed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the results of the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

The ministers also discussed regional aspects of the non-proliferation dossier: the situation surrounding the nuclear programs of Iran and the DPRK. It was reiterated by the Russian side that there is no alternative to the resolution of these problems by political and diplomatic methods.

A separate session was devoted to the fight against terrorism in the context of the evolving situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and a number of crisis areas in Africa. The Russian minister particularly emphasized the need for intensification and better coordination of efforts to wipe out the ideology of extremism and cut off sources of funding terrorism. The priority of the fight against the threat of drugs emanating from the territory of Afghanistan was accentuated in this context. The meeting endorsed the initiative of the Canadian presidency, aimed at increasing interaction between Kabul and Islamabad.

At the initiative of Ottawa, coordination of international assistance in stabilization efforts in regions vulnerable with respect to security was considered. The ministers endorsed the idea of a need to develop an integrated approach to improve the effectiveness of international efforts in peacemaking and peacebuilding. There was support for an international conference devoted to this subject.

The meeting welcomed the decisions taken at the Moscow session of the Middle East Quartet in support of the beginning of indirect Israeli-Palestinian negotiations with their subsequent transformation into a direct substantive dialogue.

Coordination of assistance to Haiti, and the struggle against drug trafficking and organized crime in Latin America were also examined.

In addition to the statement in connection with the terrorist acts in Moscow, the meeting adopted joint statements on nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear atomic energy, as well as on Afghanistan. The content of the discussion of the G8 Foreign Ministers, by tradition, was summarized in the statement of the Canadian presidency.