The decision to not invite Russia to a meeting of the Group of Seven finance ministers has provoked criticism in Russia. Representative of Russia’s Foreign Ministry called it “wrong” on Thursday.
"We think it is a wrong approach that reflects outdated political stereotypes,” Andrey Nesterenko said in an official statement, Interfax agency reports.
The gathering will take place in Iqaluit, Canada on February 5-6.
“The decision is a manifestation of the typical pragmatism of the western, and particularly Obama administrations, who want to talk seriously only with those countries and on those topics where in the mind of the US they have real weight”, explained Dmitry Suslov from the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy.
“Thus, it is a signal that under the circumstances of the current international economic crisis, the west, and in particular the US, think that Russia does not have the real weight in the financial sphere that other countries do.”
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