Africa at the center
The first element that must be focused, which I have already written about in these columns, is the attention paid to the African continent. It was the central theme of the first session, the inaugural one of the summit. A very relevant focus, which places at the center the objective of the enlargement and opening of the G7 to other countries, primarily African ones. Furthermore, it is a fact that the G7 countries are losing relevance in relative terms: if in fact in 1990 66% of world GDP and 52% of international trade were in the hands of the G7, today the same countries are responsible for 43% of GDP and 27% of global trade. Opening up to Africa therefore means trying to build alliances with an area which, by all accounts, will be the one with the highest rate of economic growth. Also interesting was the attention paid not so much and only to support measures for the African continent but rather to partnership initiatives: with the aim of creating solid prerequisites for robust and lasting economic development.
Secondly, the focus desired by President Meloni on the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was very appropriate. It is in fact the greatest determinant of social and industrial change in modern history; AI definitively takes us to a world in which code (software) will represent the backbone of the operating dynamics of our planet. With the presence of the Holy Father and the attention dedicated to this technology, we wanted to reiterate, as clearly expressed in the final declarations, that AI must be put at the service of man and must be subordinated to respect for basic principles of an ethical nature .
The war in Ukraine
Furthermore, it was not a given that an agreement would be reached on the Ukraine issue; the conclusions of the summit instead highlight that it was decided to allocate 50 billion dollars to support Kiev and at the same time, for the first time, China was asked, in an official and clear way, to exercise its negotiating power towards Putin because stop this absurd war. In this regard, it is useful to remember that the Russian Federation now depends to a very significant extent on Beijing, which is by far the main buyer of gas and oil from Moscow and represents the most important supplier of technologies and not only to the Tsar of St. Petersburg .
In short, as Italians we can be satisfied with the progress of the G7 organized in Borgo Egnazia. We were the directors of a complex coordination operation on numerous and delicate issues, we gave centrality back to the Mediterranean Sea, consequently placing Italy in a completely privileged position both as an energy hub towards Europe and as a key logistical hub of a new axis north-south, President Meloni gains further important feedback regarding the launch of the so-called Mattei Plan more than a year ago. Now it is important to remember that yes, the G7 was an important stage but now it is essential to follow up, with concrete actions, on the decisions taken and consolidate the credit gained in this important international forum.
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