The leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies met in Cornwall, southwest England, for the G7 summit that is being hosted by the UK this year.
It is the first face-to-face G7 summit since 2019, and will last for three days.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime minister Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel.
The primary issue on the agenda was recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with Johnson issuing a call to “learn the lessons” both from the current pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis.
The British prime minister said the G7 now had to allow their economies to recover.
“I think they have the potential to bounce back very strongly and there's all sorts of reasons for being optimistic,” Johnson said.”
“But it is vital we don't repeat the mistake of the last great crisis, the last great economic recession in 2008, when the recovery was not uniform across all parts of society.
“I think what's gone wrong with this pandemic, or what risks being a lasting scar is, I think, that the inequalities may be entrenched.
“We need to make sure that as we recover, we level up across our societies and we build back better.”
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