Germany: Most G20 countries urge Iran to enter negotiations
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- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said European officials would not pose for a joint photograph alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the G20 meeting in Atlanta.
- The gathering opened without the traditional group photograph as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for international cooperation to address global economic and geopolitical challenges.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Friday that European representatives would not appear alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a joint photograph at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, stressing that relations with Moscow could not return to normal.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the gathering, Wadephul was asked whether he would participate in a group photograph with Lavrov.
"I assume there will be no family photograph at all," he said, adding that European partners would not appear in a photograph alongside the Russian foreign minister.
"There is no normality with Russia," Wadephul added.
The meeting opened without the traditional family photograph, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched the first plenary session with a call for greater international cooperation.
Rubio described the current period as a "moment of choosing," warning that interconnected economic and geopolitical crises posed serious challenges to the international order.
"We are facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises, many of which pose severe threats to essential foundations of the global economic order," he said.
The Group of Twenty (G20) is an international forum bringing together major advanced and emerging economies to coordinate economic policies and address global challenges.
Established in 1999 following the Asian financial crisis, the group comprises 19 countries, the European Union, and the African Union, which joined in 2023.
