Foreign minister Luigi Di Maio is due on Thursday to attend a meeting in Paris of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Ministerial Council - a key OECD body - which Italy is chairing this year.
The meeting is being chaired by Italy's premier Mario Draghi, who will give a keynote address at the event. Di Maio will chair three working sessions of the meeting, the first of which will look at the political and economic implications of Russia 105-day-old offensive in Ukraine.
Di Maio will reiterate Italy's strong condemnation of Russia's devastating assault on Ukraine and his country's backing for dialogue aimed at achieving a lasting and just peace settlement to end the conflict, according to the foreign ministry, the foreign ministry stated.
The second meeting session focuses on trade and environmental sustainability and the third on the OECD and Africa, with the goal of strengthening countries' policy-making abilities and creating a more favourable climate for private investors.
At Draghi's invitation, the current chair of the African Union, Macky Sall, is attending Thursday's meeting. It is the first high-profile event involving western and African countries since the Ukraine conflict began.
Africa will be at the centre of a working dinner focussed on energy, which International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol is set to attend.
The digital and green transitions, finance and health, external relations, especially with Africa, international trade and Russia's war in Ukraine are the focus of Italy's OECD Ministerial Council presidency.
