32nd G8 summit

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The 32nd G8 summit took place July 15–17, 2006, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, at the Constantine Palace in Strelna. It was the first and only time Russia hosted a G8 summit. The G8 includes Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

This summit was the first for Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and German chancellor Angela Merkel, and it was the last for French president Jacques Chirac and Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. The main topics were energy security, education, and fighting infectious diseases, with the Israel–Lebanon conflict also drawing attention. As usual, the host country helps set the agenda, and leaders sign a joint declaration at the end.

Before the summit, authorities detained many rights activists across Russia. Cherie Blair, a human rights lawyer and wife of the British prime minister, left the event to meet local rights groups and offer legal help.

The meeting sparked debates about the G8’s relevance after more than 30 years. Notable moments included a recorded private conversation between George W. Bush and Tony Blair, and a brief incident where Bush touched Angela Merkel’s shoulders at a roundtable, which drew media attention. The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa, created at the previous summit, continued to guide discussions on Africa’s development, with the 2006 meeting continuing related work.