G-7 foreign ministers meeting in Pittsburgh later this month

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will host a meeting of G-7 foreign ministers at Pittsburgh’s Omni William Penn Hotel at month’s end, according to city officials.

Mayor Bill Peduto said the city has been preparing for the meeting since November and predicted that coronavirus would be a key topic of discussion.

It will be held March 24-25 and include foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. It’s being held in advance of the G-7 summit at Camp David in Maryland this summer.

Political leaders from the Group of Seven (G-7) nations meet annually to discuss topics, including economics, energy, climate change, medical problems and security.

“I spoke with (Pompeo) back in November when it was decided they had chosen Pittsburgh,” Peduto said. “Since then the coronavirus has become a major concern. We’ll be working with the State Department in order to be able to see how they’ll be testing and what those interactions with the airport will be.”

Peduto said people should expect some street closures.

“This isn’t going to be like the G-20 summit, when the entire city was quarantined and Oakland was quarantined,” he said. “We’re looking at a small amount of closures, which will affect traffic, but the police are being prepared.”

Most of Downtown and significant parts of Oakland were closed to traffic during the September 2009 G-20 Summit.