President Meloni chairs a G7 Leaders’ meeting. Focus on Ukraine, the Middle East, Venezuela and the handover of the G7 Presidency from Italy to Canada

The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, chaired a virtual G7 Leaders' meeting today to discuss the main international issues, in view of the handover of the Group's Presidency from Italy to Canada.

The meeting began with an exchange of views on the main international crises. The G7 Leaders once again condemned Russia's brutal aggression, reaffirming their intention to support the Ukrainian people's fight for freedom, sovereignty and independence. They also expressed their disapproval of the growing military collaboration between Russia and North Korea and stated their intention to continue imposing measures against those who support Moscow's war effort.

With regard to the Middle East, the Leaders discussed the situation in Syria and, in line with the statement adopted yesterday, they expressed their hope that the end of the Assad regime would mark the beginning of a peaceful and orderly transition through the definition of an inclusive political process. They stressed the importance of respecting the ceasefire in Lebanon, which represents an important step towards peace. The G7 Leaders renewed their support for the US-led plan for a ceasefire in Gaza, with the release of all hostages and an increase in humanitarian aid to the civilian population, with the aim of bringing the crisis to an end and ensuring a path towards a two-state solution.

The Leaders also discussed the situation in Venezuela, reiterating their condemnation of the ongoing human rights violations and renewing their commitment to facilitate a peaceful transition towards democracy.

Lastly, the Leaders looked back over the Italian G7 Presidency, expressing their unanimous appreciation for both the quality of its organisation and the importance of the results achieved during the Leaders' Summit in Apulia and the 23 Ministerial meetings (including those held for the first time such as Defence, Tourism and Disability) as well as at the more than 130 working group meetings and civil society engagement formats.

The many concrete initiatives launched over the year were recalled and commended, starting with the USD 50 billion in 'Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration' (ERA) loans soon to be disbursed and repaid using the extraordinary revenues stemming from the immobilised Russian sovereign assets.

The Leaders also recalled the set of decisions taken to foster sustainable development, especially in Africa, taking action in crucial sectors such as: food security, with the Apulia Food Systems Initiative to boost agricultural production in the African continent; energy transition, with the launch of the Energy for Growth in Africa initiative to implement infrastructures for the production and distribution of green energy; the fight against climate change, with the establishment of the Adaptation Accelerator Hub to support the most vulnerable nations in their climate change adaptation and mitigation actions, in line with the goals set in the context of COP. The synergies between these programmes and the European Union's Global Gateway, the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment and the strategy Italy has developed at national level with the Mattei Plan were also highlighted.

The Italian Presidency also revitalised the G7's role with respect to major contemporary global issues, such as artificial intelligence and migration. Regarding AI, an action plan whose strategic guidelines were defined at the Apulia Summit, and which was then developed by the Labour Ministers, sets some boundaries for the development of this technology to ensure it is used to the benefit of humankind, without multiplying inequalities between nations and within our societies.

In this context, the G7 has created a logo that will let people know which organisations support the Hiroshima AI Process and are therefore committed to using AI in a safe, transparent, ethical and reliable way. With regard to migration issues, the agreement reached at the Apulia Summit on the ways to address migration was one of the cornerstones of the Italian Presidency, renewing the commitment to extend cooperation in managing flows, in partnership with the countries of origin and of transit, based on a three-pillar strategy: 1) address the root causes of irregular migration; 2) strengthen border management and the fight against transnational organised crime, monitoring the related financial flows, in order to combat the criminal networks that profit from migrant smuggling and human trafficking; 3) activate regular channels for legal, safe and orderly migration. These courses of action, agreed during the Leaders' Summit in Apulia, have been defined from an operational point of view by the G7 Interior Ministries and will be carried forward during the Canadian Presidency.

Many other objectives have been achieved in a wide range of areas, from trade to economic security, from health to social inclusion, from cybersecurity to global financial issues, including the progress made towards a fairer international tax system.

Against the backdrop of all these results, what has best represented the spirit of the Italian G7 Presidency has been the continuous pursuit of Group unity to promote a set of values open to the world. A highly cohesive G7 that is nevertheless open to dialogue and to taking on board the demands coming from the Global South in order to resolve together the main issues of our time.

It was on this solid foundation of values and extending her best wishes for every success that President Meloni symbolically handed the G7 Presidency over to Prime Minister Trudeau, who then outlined Canada's priorities as of 1 January 2025 and in view of the Leaders' Summit set to be held in Kananaskis (Alberta province) next June.

The Italian Presidency hands over to the Canadian Presidency along a path of continuity regarding both the G7's focus on the hotbeds of international instability and the further development of the courses of action launched over the last months, which are the result of the commitment and hard work of all the Italian administrations involved in this joint effort.

In closing, President Meloni expressed her gratitude to all members of the Government, their staff and the teams who have been involved in the content, negotiations and organisation of the Italian Presidency of the G7.

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