For the G7 today will be a “Good” Friday. While the summit opens the migration and economic-political security dossiers in the Indo-Pacific, Pope francesco he landed with his helicopter in Borgo Egnazia: the prime minister welcomed him on the green lawn of the resort. The two boarded the golf cart with the Vatican insignia printed on the seats and headed together towards the summit venue while the photographers took shots. It is the first time for a pontiff in the fifty-year history of the summit of the Big Seven. Together with the leaders, Bergoglio will sit around the table built on the roots of a centuries-old olive tree to talk about artificial intelligence, a topic that Giorgia Meloni wanted to bring back to the center of the G7 agenda in continuity with the Hiroshima summit in December.
For the pontiff, today will also be an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting with world leaders. Ten bilaterals scheduled, including the one with Emmanuel Macron (scheduled at 1.15pm) with at the center not only Ukraine but also the divisive issue of abortion, included in recent months as a right within the French Constitution. A theme that, in an unexpected and explosive way, is shaking up this summit with evident tensions between Meloni and the tenant of the Elysée. Another meeting to monitor is the one between the pope and Joe Biden scheduled for 6.15pm: the US president, who in the morning met face-to-face with the host prime minister for a bilateral meeting lasting about half an hour in the presence of the secretary of State Antony Blinken, will leave for Los Angeles tonight at 11.40pm.
After the Archaeological Museum of Borgo Egnazia, a visit to the artistic ceramic workshops and the «Casa Vestita» Museum of Grottaglie is planned for the first ladies and the first gentleman Heiko von der Leyen. Second stop is the trulli of Alberobello, a UNESCO heritage site admired throughout the world, followed by a journey through the Itria Valley on board a historic train to Martina Franca, where the program will end with a visit to the seventeenth-century Palazzo Ducale. In the same minutes, in Borgo Egnazia the Seven should approve the final conclusions of the summit, on which convergence seems to have already been achieved. To celebrate the success of the summit, in the evening the small square of Borgo Egnazia will host a performance by Andrea Bocelli.
In Bari, meanwhile, i 1,500 journalists still struggling with Wi-Fi problems, they are awaiting updates on the giant screens installed inside the pavilion spaces of the Fiera del Levante. The few not busy writing or reporting on the developments of the summit on live TV pass the time by playing with the two “G7” branded table football tables set up in a recreational corner where there is also a ping-pong table and two Theme-themed pinball machines. Simpsons and Indiana Jones.
The final rehearsals for the concert are underway in the nearby Stadio delle Vittorie Renato Zero scheduled for the evening in the old Bari Calcio stadium, replaced by Renzo Piano’s San Nicola for Italia ’90. A light mistral blows in the city, refreshing the air and rippling the waves: nothing like the rough waters between Meloni and Macron, sixty kilometers to the south. (All rights reserved)
Posting time: 06/14/2024 11:42
Last update: 06/14/2024 1.55pm
