Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would back expanding G-8 to include India, China and Brazil if other members of the elite club of the world's most industrialised nations voice such a proposal.
His comments came ahead of the first session of the G-8 summit, which opened in the picturesque suburb of Strelna on the Gulf of Finland near St Petersburg on Sunday.
The two-day summit of the world's eight richest nations is being attended by the leaders of Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, France and Japan under the rotating Presidency of Russia. Russia will back the expansion of the G-8 if its partners in the club voice such a proposal, Putin said before the formal opening of the summit.
He said it would be difficult to imagine how international financial and energy problems could be solved without involving India, China and Brazil. "If our partners believe the raising of this issue... is possible, we will of course support it," Putin told reporters, reminding that Russia itself had become a member of the group only recently.
The chairman of the European Commission and the prime minister of Finland are also attending the summit at which international energy security, the fight against infectious diseases and education are slated to be key topics.
The leaders of the Group of Eight most developed nations will also address traditional issues like counter-terrorism, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the fight against organised crime and drug trafficking, economic and financial issues, regional conflicts, including the recent escalation of the Middle East conflict, Iranian and North Korean nuclear problems, and situations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The G-8 leaders are meeting behind closed doors. In accordance with the long-established pattern of work, the G-8 leaders' discussions are being attended only by their personal envoys.
The agenda of Sunday's meeting includes key international issues with priority given to the current wave of tensions in the Middle East, and also energy security, overall literacy and the fight against infectious diseases -- the issues Russia has proposed as the G-8 president.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is arriving in St Petersburg later on Sunday and is scheduled to attend the informal summit of 'Outreach' countries, which included China, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and African Union rotating President Congo, the same night over a dinner to evolve a common stand on the key global issues ahead of Monday's meeting with the G-8 leaders.
The prime minister is also scheduled to have a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of G-8 summit, including with Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao, US President George W Bush and other world leaders before leaving for home on Tuesday.
