From Savelletri/Fasano – “Italy has once again demonstrated its ability to organize events of this extraordinary importance”, is the comment of President Meloni at the closing of the G7. And on the lack of explicit reference to abortion in the final declaration: “The Italian government has not taken any step backwards on abortion, LGBTIQ legislation and ‘singing company’. The story does not correspond to the truth.”
The G7 summit in Puglia ended with a press conference by President Meloni. From 13 to 15 June, the leaders of France, Germany, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and the European Union discussed the main international dossiers, from support for Ukraine to the development of artificial intelligence.
In the ultra-luxury resort “Borgo Egnazia” in the town of Savelletri (Fasano, province of Brindisi) the Prime Minister outlined her assessment of the G7, highlighting the teamwork and thanking those who worked on the organization. The first thought is of Ambassador Elisabetta Belloni, head of the Italian diplomatic delegation and main editor of the text of the final conclusions (hence the nickname “sherpa”). And then to “the people of Puglia and the local institutions”, because “they allowed us to see the greats of the world talking about global challenges in a village”. Meloni claimed the choice to “remind us that we are not capable of facing those challenges without starting from our identity”.
Analyzing the final declaration, according to the Prime Minister it is “a broad, extremely significant document, which contains many concrete commitments”. You mention some of them, the most sensitive for the Italian government: the defense of the international system and support for Ukraine; support for the US mediation proposal in the Middle East (ceasefire in Gaza, release of the hostages and immediate assistance to the population, to achieve the prospect of a “two peoples, two states” solution between Israel and Palestine); anthropocentric approach to the use of artificial intelligence (“man remains the ultimate end of man”), through the dissemination of a brand that certifies compliance with a shared code of conduct, identifiable by consumers.
President Meloni reserved the bulk of her speech to the two key themes of the Italian presidency: the West’s relationship with the African continent and the governance of migratory flows.
“The West is not against the rest of the world”
Meloni claims international recognition of the Italian government’s Mattei Plan for Africa and the effort to create synergies between the various existing development cooperation and investment initiatives in third countries, for a “new equal partnership, to allow these nations to grow with the resources they already possess.”
Furthermore, the Prime Minister presented some new initiatives launched by the G7 in the field of food security, energy and infrastructure development, so as to increase the participation of African countries in value chains.
Migrations: addressing the causes, reducing departures, combating human trafficking
After the record of the participation of a pontiff in the G7, Meloni does not hide his satisfaction for another first time: having included in the final declaration “the commitment to address the root causes of migration”, in such a way as to guarantee “the right to not being forced to leave your home, your land, to find the conditions for your fulfillment there.”
Remembering the anti-mafia magistrates Giovanni Falcone (“follow the money, you find the mafia”) and Paolo Borsellino, the Prime Minister announces a new cooperation in the fight against human traffickers (“the most profitable activity of criminal organizations”) . “If we hit them following the proceeds – explains Meloni – we can fight the slavers of the third millennium”. It will then be the task of the ministers of the Interior of the G7 countries to draw up the rules of a new action plan and harmonize existing national legislation, and allow the sharing of information and the exchange of intelligence.
Climate policies must not affect competitiveness
In closing, there is also space for the fight against climate change “on which it is necessary to maintain high ambition, without however adopting ideological or preconceived positions”. Alluding to China, the Prime Minister clarifies that “we cannot fall into the paradox of protecting the environment, benefiting nations competing with us, which adopt aggressive commercial practices to the detriment of the environment”.
Still on China, in continuity with the previous Japanese presidency of the G7, Meloni reiterates the openness to dialogue with Beijing on the condition that “our companies must be able to compete on the same conditions”. In the coming weeks it is the Prime Minister who confirms that she will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. The date is yet to be defined.
Putin’s Peace Plan? ‘Propaganda’. The abortion controversy? ‘Does not exist’
In the part of the questions reserved for the press, the Prime Minister comments on the peace plan presented by Putin in response to the G7’s commitment to financially support Ukraine: “It seems to me more like a propaganda initiative than a start of negotiations. It doesn’t seem effective to me to ask Ukraine to withdraw from Ukraine. If you want peace, it is enough for Russia to withdraw its troops.”
On the “abortion” case denounced by the President of the French Republic Macron, i.e. the absence of an explicit reference to the promotion of the right to abortion in the final declaration, Meloni reiterates: “In the final documents the things that are taken for granted are not repeated ‘ equal equal’. The controversy was constructed in an artificial way, but it did not exist during the summit and in the conclusions.”
