Giorgia Meloni takes on G-7 leaders tour. Having outlined the priorities of Italy’s G-7 Presidency, the Italian Prime Minister is making plans to visit or talk with all her colleagues from the other G-7 nations – reportedly starting with a private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron, which is currently unconfirmed. That meeting could take the form of a phone call as she did with Germany’s Olaf Scholz to discuss the G-7’s programme.
- What is certain, though, is that she’ll be travelling to Tokyo in the first week of February to meet Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida – who recently handed over the forum’s chairmanship.
- In 2023, the two signed a joint statement elevating their countries’ relationship to a strategic partnership and have been consolidating ties through tech and trade deals – in addition to the recently launched sixth-gen fighter jet programme.
Setting up the stage. The Italian PM is busy laying the groundwork for the G-7 leaders’ summit, which is set to take place in Apulia in early summer. It’s unclear who beyond the group will be invited – but India’s Narendra Modi will likely be there, especially in view of the joint work done by Rome and New Delhi as the latter led the G-20 in 2023.
First, to Turkey. Before all of that, the Italian PM is slated to join Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the coming days. The leaders are expected to touch upon the most pressing geopolitical dossiers, including the Middle Eastern regional crisis, where Ankara’s position often runs counter to the EU’s, and Ukraine, where a wide degree of mismatch with NATO allies remains.
- Considering that Turkey remains a powerful intermediary in the Middle Eastern region, Mr Erdogan remains a crucial interlocutor for PM Meloni and G-7 nations – especially given Ankara’s links with Hamas and Moscow, as well as its security ties with Israel.
