New Delhi, June 14 -- The G7 countries along with guest countries, including India, on Sunday committed themselves to create open societies and strengthen democracies and rules-based international order.

The leaders of the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, the United States of America and the European Union, reaffirmed their shared belief in open societies, democratic values and multilateralism as foundations for dignity, opportunity and prosperity for all and for the responsible stewardship of our planet.

As leaders of over half of the world's population living in democracies, they said, it is imperative that they reaffirm and encourage others to embrace the valu...