Medvedev: G8 summit offers opportunity to jointly tackle global challenges

MOSCOW, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Group of Eight (G8) summit provides an opportunity to map out joint strategies for coping with the challenges brought by globalization, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a recent interview with Japanese media.

It is impossible for one country alone to meet these challenges, Medvedev told Japanese reporters on the eve of the summit to be held on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

"In this sense, the G8 summit gives us a chance to coordinate our stances and study ways to meet the challenges," he was quoted as saying.

Mankind is facing a very complicated and irreversible process of climate change, Medvedev said. In efforts to reduce harmful gas emissions and the green-house effect, greater emphasis should be laid on making long-term plans, he said.

On the current food crisis, he said it was caused by a combination of factors from overproduction in a number of countries to serious food shortages in some others. The surging food prices have aggravated the crisis, he added.

Medvedev proposed further increases in world food production and provision of assistance to countries suffering from food shortages, in an effort to make changes to the global adjustment mechanism.

Medvedev also called for efforts to create a new adjustment mechanism for international finance.