“In these days Italy has been at the center of the world, and the eyes of the world have been focused on us. It was a great responsibility and I am proud of how our nation has managed, once again, to amaze and trace the route”. Giorgia Meloni does not hide her satisfaction.
ANSA Agency The G7 appeal: ‘Respect the Olympic truce’ – G7 Italy – Ansa.it Support for the Zelensky plan ahead of the conference in Switzerland (ANSA) The G7, seen through the eyes of the Italian delegation, went as it should have gone. For the “historic” presence of Pope Francis, for the Mattei Plan which enters into the conclusions and the trafficking of migrants which becomes a theme on which the 7 launch a “coalition” to combat it. But also for the presence of many leaders outside the group, from African ones to Turkish Erdogan, from the Indian Modi to the Brazilian Lula, passing through the Argentine Milei. And in the positive balance of Palazzo Chigi there is no lack of support from Joe Biden, who once again appreciates Italy’s clear position in defense of Ukraine, to help which the agreement reached on Russian assets will serve like bread. A result that was anything but obvious on the eve.
ANSA Agency Migrants, Mattei Plan and AI. The conclusions of the G7 – G7 Italy – Ansa.it There is no abortion, references to LGBT, warnings to Russia and China (ANSA) More complicated was the diplomatic match on the topic of rights – first abortion, then the protection of LGBTQI+ people -, a tug-of-war in which the distances between the leaders were measured, even though they all adopted the final declaration together. Meloni had already intervened in person to reject “election campaign” actions at the G7 after the explicit reference to abortion at the last summit had been absorbed into the generic “reiterate” of Hiroshima’s commitments on this point, encountering the “regret” of Emmanuel Macron (and the doubts of the White House). The following day, the Italian presidency of the G7 flatly denied that there were no “references” to LGBTQI+ rights in the final document. Which in effect reiterates the “firm condemnation” of the 7 of the “violations and abuses of their human rights and fundamental freedoms”. But it makes no reference, as first highlighted by the Bloomberg agency, to the protection of “gender identity and sexual orientation” of the LGBT community.
ANSA Agency Pope Francis at the G7 lashes the world’s greats on peace – G7 Italy – Ansa.it From Zelensky to Biden, Francis’ canvas for ‘healthy politics’ (ANSA) The Italian presidency defends the issues on which the Sherpas have negotiated, until reaching an agreement on new wordings that do not change the substance. But they certainly cannot exactly overlap with the linguistic choices (as well as content) signed only a year ago by the Italian government itself in Japan. Maybe it could have been “inappropriate”, given the presence of the Holy Father, as the minister Francesco Lollobrigida had hypothesized. Or that simply every year we focus on certain themes and do not “copy” the previous version as is, as reiterated by the Italian front.
With Macron, after the clash, at least in the official images there is not even an exchange of glances. In the evening it was the head of the Elysée who tried to throw water on the fire on the abortion case: “There was no controversy, we must not exaggerate”, observed the French president, adding however that with Meloni “we know our disagreements, which they exist. I didn’t put them on the table, I answered honestly” to the question of an Italian journalist.
In short, a shadow remains over a summit that Meloni carefully prepared with Sherpa Elisabetta Belloni, and on which he bet to cement Italian credibility at a time when his government is the “strongest” one in the group, as he claimed herself on the eve. A credibility recognized by the American president, who had a bilateral meeting with the prime minister for over half an hour. Relaxed tones, harmony on Ukraine and the Middle East. No mention of abortion. And the promise to meet again soon, in Washington, where the NATO summit will be held at the beginning of July.
Meloni also saw her friend Narendra Modi, with whom she congratulated him on his third term as Indian Prime Minister, and Fumio Kishida, from whom she took the baton and with whom she signed a bilateral Italy-Japan action plan. No face to face so far, at least officially, with the other European leaders, despite the fact that the new post-election balance is the hottest dossier waiting for everyone already on Monday evening in Brussels.
Between one session and another of the summit, the working lunches, chef Massimo Bottura’s dinner and the informal moments of the summit, it cannot be ruled out that the topic may have been at least mentioned among the delegations. “They’ve been together for three days…” observes a source. And there would also be time tomorrow morning, in the final slot of the summit in Puglia, entirely dedicated to bilaterals before Meloni’s closing press conference. However, several leaders – including the French president – left Borgo Egnazia early, many heading to Switzerland for the Peace Conference on Ukraine.
ANSA Agency G7, live coverage of the second day of the summit ALL VIDEOS – Direct and live – Ansa.it Leaders at the summit in Puglia (ANSA) Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
