Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Turkey could join the G7 meetings, along with China and India, given its role in international affairs, the Anadolu news agency reported.
When asked about a proposal by US President Donald Trump for Moscow’s possible return to the group of the world’s top economies – the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — Putin said China and India would also make suitable members.
Russia was suspended from the G8 in 2014 due to its annexation of Crimea as well as its political and military support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. The group is now called G7.
“Turkey’s work is also in demand and appropriate given its role in international affairs and in the region,” Putin said, speaking at a plenary meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
Putin said all the participants of the meeting agreed that the discussion of some topics like conflicts in the Middle East is “more interesting” in a broader format than the G8.
“This suggests that without countries such as India and China, modern problems of the development cannot be solved,” Putin said.
The Eastern Economic Forum is an annual international forum held to encourage foreign investment in the Russian Far East. The Russian leadership also uses the sidelines of the event to discuss international and regional issues.