MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) The German foreign and finance ministers have declined the invitation to attend a G7 meeting in Washington on July 29, Der Spiegel reported on Thursday, citing German and US government sources.
According to the magazine, Berlin offered to send deputy ministers instead of Heiko Maas and Olaf Scholz. The other G7 members appear to have shunned the invitation too.
The US government reportedly did not even consider the option of a video conference and finally canceled the planned ministerial earlier in the week.
In late May, Chancellor Angela Merkel notably rejected President Donald Trump's invitation to attend the summit in person in June due to the pandemic. The US has since had to push back the gathering until at least September.
