Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani is attending a two-day G7 ministerial meeting in Niagara, Canada which is centered on security. Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Korea, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Ukraine are also participating in the meeting, according to a foreign ministry statement.
The meeting is set to open late Tuesday with a working dinner on global peace and security that will look at "various crisis scenarios", with Italy and the United States leading the discussion on "various Middle East issues", Great Britain on Sudan and Germany on Ukraine, said the statement.
Ahead of the international conference on war-shattered Gaza's reconstruction which Egypt is slated to hold later this month, Tajani "will reaffirm Italy’s commitment" to the implementation of US president Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan and its "willingness to contribute to the governance, stabilisation, and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip," said the statement.
Italy has already announced a 60 million euro package for the Gaza Strip which additionally aims to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian aid, the statement pointed out.
Tajani will also highlight the recent launch of the 'Italy for Sudan' initiative (under which government has set aside over 125 million euros to support basic services in the conflict-hit country and for Sudanese communities in neighbouring countries and is sending ship to give immediate aid to over 26,000 refugees in Port Sudan).
Tajani will also stress the vital need to step up humanitarian aid flows and "confirm Italy’s upcoming aid shipments for the most vulnerable, including children and internally displaced persons," the statement said.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha will focus on the conflict in Ukraine, and specifically on defence cooperation and ways to strengthen Ukraine’s industrial capacity in this sector, the statement continued.
At the session, Tajani will reaffirm Italy’s full support for Ukraine and its commitment to strengthening Ukraine’s energy resilience and ensuring its defence capacity following the adoption of the 19th package of European Union sanctions against Russia, the statement pointed out.
Wednesday's second thematic session will centre on maritime security and on prosperity following the G7 Declaration in March, which relaunched action on supply chain security, the fight against piracy, and the protection of undersea infrastructure, the statement went on.
India is a crucial partner in maritime security, also given the planned Indo-Mediterranean Corridor (IMEC) linking India, the Middle East and Europe via a combination of rail and sea routes - the statement underlined
The meeting's third thematic session on Wednesday will focus on energy security and critical minerals, the statement said.
Tajani will emphasise the importance of bolstering cooperation and political dialogue among G7 members to develop new partnerships with raw material producer countries and to boost private sector investment in sustainable critical mineral projects, the statement concluded.
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