G7 foreign ministers put shipping routes on the Paris agenda
The joint declaration links freedom of navigation to the supply of energy, fertiliser and food.
G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris on November 9 and 10 reaffirmed their support for freedom of navigation and maritime safety. In a joint declaration published by Japan’s foreign ministry, they linked disruptions at sea to risks for global shipments of energy, fertiliser and food.
The declaration referred to the international law of the sea and recalled an October initiative against imposing fees or tolls on maritime passage. The ministers said lasting disruptions can fall especially heavily on vulnerable economies and populations.
The statement also addresses economic security, including how the group sees dependence on a small number of suppliers of critical minerals. It calls for more diverse supply chains. The declaration sets out positions shared by the ministers across several policy areas, with maritime trade forming one part of the wider Paris meeting.