As the G7 Summit kicks off in Italy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday said that the country decided to host the summit in Apulia because it is a region of southern Italy and through the summit, Italy wishes to strengthen its dialogue with the nations of the Global South.
Noting that this forum will celebrate 50 years, the Italian Prime Minister in her opening remarks during the first session of the G7 Summit, said that over these decades, it has become irreplaceable in managing global crises, particularly those which threaten our freedom and our democracies.
"Italy decided to host the leader's summit in the region of Apulia. This was not a coincidence. We did this because Apulia is a region of southern Italy. And the message we want to launch as a G7, which, under the Italian presidency, wishes to strengthen its dialogue with the nations of the global south," Italian PM Meloni said.
She added that the nation chose this location because this area has historically been a bridge between East and West.
"It is a land of dialogue in the Mediterranean, the central Sea, which connects to major oceans, the Atlantic on one side, and the Indian, and also the Pacific Ocean," she said.
The Italian prime minister further described the logo of the G7 Summit, saying, “...Together with another symbol of Italy, which is the centenarian olive tree with its deep roots. And on the branches, seven olives, which are the symbol of our nations which cooperate on all global challenges.”
She emphasised that all these symbols give an idea of the goals of the Italian presidency.
"On the one hand, to give value to what unites us and to strengthen our cooperation. On the other hand, we want to be able to dialogue with all," Meloni said.
Italian Prime Minister Meloni said that the G7 is not a self-enclosed fortress that needs to defend itself against others, “It is a container of values and we want to open to the world to have shared development and growth as our goals.”
Underscoring the agendas, she said that it will include the current crisis, Ukraine and the Middle East.
"We will also build on what the Japanese presidency did to guarantee that we have solid supplies. Responding also to one of the major challenges of our times, generative AI, and clearly with a need to make use of its opportunities and govern its risks, and also give greater attention to the Indo-Pacific region," she said.
The Italian presidency also decided to give special attention to another continent, which is fundamental to the future, Africa, with its opportunities.
"This requires a different approach than we've shown in the past. Often Africa is linked to another issue, not just Africa, which is the issue of migration and the worrying dimension," Meloni said. (ANI)
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