The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven major democracies - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - will meet at the river resort of La Malbaie, Quebec on March 12-14 for the first time since President Donald Trump returned to power in January.
When asked by reporters about Trump's comments on making Canada the 51st U.S. state, Rubio instead talked about the areas of cooperation between the United States and Canada including defense of North American airspace and Ukraine.
"We're going to be focused in the G7 on all of those things. That's what the meeting is about. It is not a meeting about how we're going to take over Canada," he said.
U.S. ties with Canada have soured following Trump's repeated comments about Washington's northern neighbor being its 51st U.S. state and the Republican president referring to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as its "governor".
The two neighbors are also locked in a trade war. Trump increased tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, accusing the country of failing to do enough to stem the flow of the deadly fentanyl opioid and its precursor chemicals into the U.S. and also as he moves to reorder global trade norms in favor of the United States.
Rubio said Trump was not singling out any country but trying to help develop a domestic industrial capability as the current situation threatened U.S. national security in the long run.
The top U.S. diplomat said despite these tensions, he expected to have constructive conversations with G7 allies.
"I think it is quite possible that we could do these things and at the same time deal in a constructive way with our allies and friends and partners on all the other issues that we work together on. And that's what I expect out of the G7 in Canada," Rubio said.
Anti-government demonstrations in Serbia intensified on Saturday (August 16), as police deployed teargas and crowd-control vehicles to disperse protes...
US President Donald Trump is pushing for a trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as earl...
Since January, more than 1.7 million Afghan citizens have returned from Iran and Pakistan, the United Nations said on Friday, warning of mounting huma...
Air Canada announced Saturday that it has suspended all flights after 10,000 flight attendants launched a strike, forcing Canada’s largest airline t...
At least 31 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman, were killed and 13 others injured in artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces...
Canada plans to recognize the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday, joining France and the UK in ramping up pressure on Israel.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will officially recognise Palestinian state, making it the first G7 nation and permanent United Nations Security Council member to take such a step.
The G7 Foreign Ministers urge Iran to promptly resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in accordance with its safeguards obligations, and to provide the IAEA with verifiable information on all nuclear material in Iran, including granting access to IAEA inspectors.
The United States and the Group of Seven nations have agreed on a plan to exempt U.S. companies from parts of a major global tax deal, a move set to reshape international tax stability.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
A deadly heatwave has claimed 1,180 lives in Spain since May, with elderly people most at risk, prompting calls for urgent social support.
Anti-government demonstrations in Serbia intensified on Saturday (August 16), as police deployed teargas and crowd-control vehicles to disperse protesters in Belgrade.
US President Donald Trump is pushing for a trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as early as 22 August, according to Axios.
Air Canada announced Saturday that it has suspended all flights after 10,000 flight attendants launched a strike, forcing Canada’s largest airline to halt operations of both Air Canada and its low-cost subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge.
At least 31 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman, were killed and 13 others injured in artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Fasher’s Abu Shouk displacement camp in North Darfur on Saturday, volunteer groups said.
The State Department confirmed on Saturday that all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are on hold while it conducts “a full and thorough” review. Officials said only “a small number” of temporary medical-humanitarian visas had been issued in recent days but declined to give figures.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment