Angela Merkel interview: G7 summit will tackle global economy, foreign policy

The ambitious agenda for the upcoming two-day summit ofG7 leaders in Germanyincludes everything from the Greek debt crisis to climate change.

Three days before the start of the June 7-8 summit, CBC's Margaret Evanssat down withGerman Chancellor Angela Merkelto see what progress she hopes will be made at the summiton the key issues the Group of Sevenleaders will be tackling.

Greece's unresolved debt crisis looms especially large over the summit ascreditors scrambletocome up with a new repayment planahead ofFriday, when Greece is due to make a300 million($422million) payment to the IMF, so we began by asking Merkel how she will reassure her G7 partners that theGerman-ledapproach to the crisis is the right one and won't end with Greece's exit fromthe eurozone.

(Merkel's responses have been translated from German.)

Greek debt crisis

I will be only one of several Europeans representedat the G7 summitin Elmau.The negotiations withGreece are being led, above all, bythe IMF, the European Commission and the European Central Bank.So, this is not a German-dominated negotiating forum. It is these three institutions that are talking with Greece.

• Greek debt negotiations waylaid by Greek fears of conceding too much

Butwe all wish politically speaking thatwe get a result. Greece wishes to be part of the eurozone, but it must, of course, go through with the necessary reforms to make this happen. Otherwise, it will not be able to get back on agrowth track.

But we'll be able to reportthat the threeinstitutions are leading very intensive talks withGreece.

Climate change

First, climate is one issue, an important issue, but, of course, the focus will also be on the global economy andforeign policy challenges. We will also be discussingglobal health and the empowerment of women. So, it's not onlyabout climate, because the G7 are responsible for a largepart of CO2 emissions, but we can't deal with theclimate issue and meet thetwo-degreetarget [theCopenhagen Accordcommitment to keeping the global increase in temperature below two degrees]on our own, withoutemergingeconomies such as India and China.

It's a matter of two things. First, that we, certainly, once again committo [providing] the financing forthosesuffering most from the impact of climate change.In Copenhagen [in 2009], we promised to make available100 billion per year as of 2020, and we haven't yet reached this figure we haven't yet succeeded in putting this sum together from public and private funds.

The second point is that we, asindividual countries,set certain mitigation targets and commit to them, and Canada will also do this.Although, of course, oil,oilsands and other energy sources are still used there. Even Germany stillusescoal.We can't stopusing all of them [fossil fuels], but we have to set ambitiousgoals for the next few years.

Freezing out Russia

The G7 andearlier, the G8 were a group of countries thatshared the same values with regard tofreedom and democracy, andthrough the annexation of Crimea, Russiamade it clear at a certain point thatthese values of keeping thepeace,integrityof theborders of a countrywerenot beingrespected.

It is a pity that Russia is not there, but it was, in myview,unavoidable.German Chancellor Angela Merkel

So,it is a pity that Russia is not there, but it was, inmy view,unavoidable. Nevertheless, we still have a lot of ways of talkingwiththe Russian president. For example, the so-called Normandy Format, whereGermany and France together with Russia and Ukrainediscuss how to resolvethe conflict inUkraine.

I'd like tomention the [talks]involvingthe five [UN Security Council]veto powers and Germany, which aretrying to stopthe nuclear armament of Iran. We hope thatthese talks will be successful, and Russia is a very activepartner in this.

Russia played a very constructive rolewhen it came todestroying the chemical weapons of Syria. And also in bringing an end tothecivil war in Syria which we so urgently need but from whichwe are such a long way off Russia must and Russia will play a decisive role.

So, there are these [discussion]formats.

• NoPutinat Brussels G7 summit

I was veryhappythat the American secretary ofstate [John Kerry]met recently in Sochi with the Russian president [on May 12]. There are many conflicts that we can't solve withoutRussia,and we willfind the appropriatediplomatic channels to bring Russia into the conversation.