Last day of the summit in Puglia. Several bilateral meetings in the morning, then the Prime Minister’s closing conference. The Italian Government announces a loan plan of 150 million euros in Africa. On social media, Meloni posts photos with Modi and Milei.
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The G7 summit in Puglia ends today, Saturday June 15. Friday was marked by the presence of Pope Francis and the publication of the final declaration. In the morning, the last bilateral meetings, then the press conference of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Following the face-to-face meeting between the Prime Minister and the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, the Italian Government announced a plan for $150 million in highly subsidized loans and grants to finance joint projects within the framework of the Mattei Plan.
“The objective is to pursue the priorities established by the Mattei Plan for Africa and the Italian development cooperation strategy, to encourageeconomic and strategic partnerships with African nations and institutions, creating common business opportunities and increasing investment flows. “The priority sectors are energy, water, agriculture, health, education and training, and physical and digital infrastructure,” the statement reads.
The latest bilateral meetings of the G7
Last meetings between the leaders still present in Borgo Egnazia before the final closing of the summit. Meloni met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will take over as head of the G7 at the end of the year, and said the Next meeting will be in Kananaskis, Alberta.
Next, the Italian prime minister spoke with the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and with the president of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, as well as with the president of the AfDB, with whom he announced the plan of 150 million dollars for projects developmental.
Lula also spoke with German Chancellor Scholz, while Trudeau spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Meloni: “Renewed support for Ukraine, there is no controversy over abortion”
At the press conference at the end of the G7 meeting, the Italian Prime Minister once again thanked the leaders who arrived in Puglia and Pope Francis for their extraordinary participation.
Meloni reiterated the G7’s support for Ukraine, recalling the financing of $50 billion obtained from additional profits from frozen Russian assets. Responding to journalists’ questions, the Italian Prime Minister specified that This money will come from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and perhaps Japan, if possible, while The European Union has committed to freezing assets as collateral. Regarding Putin’s peace proposal, Meloni said that according to her it is propaganda.
Regarding the war in Gaza, Meloni has once again said that the G7 supports the US proposal for a ceasefire and has reiterated that it will be necessary to ensure aid to the population of the Strip, as well as guarantee peace for Israel.
Issues relating to Africa and migratory flows are also fundamental for Meloni. The Prime Minister recalled the G7’s support for Italy’s Mattei Plan and also said that the Big 7 agree to support the Italian “follow the money” model, which is inspired by the work of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. “The right not to migrate, to not be forced to leave the homeland, must be guaranteed,” Meloni said.
Regarding Artificial Intelligence, a session in which the Pope also participated, Meloni reiterated that it is one of the most complex and impactful challenges we face. “Our goal is to ensure that this new technology remains human-controlled at all times when it is developed.“.
Meloni then responded to the controversy reported by the media about the lack of reference to abortion in the final declaration. The prime minister explained that there is no reference, but there is a reference to the 2023 declaration in Japan, and added that when there is already agreement on certain issues, these are not repeated in the new statements.
All eyes are on the European Union. Meloni said that the nomination meeting will take place on Monday and explained that it will be the European People’s Party that will make the first proposal for the appointment of the President of the Commission, and then said that Italy will make its proposals and requests in light of the electoral results obtained.
Meloni’s messages for Milei and Modi
The Italian Prime Minister also took the opportunity of the G7 to underline her friendship with the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, posting a photo of the two and writing “Long live freedom.”
Then a video with the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was published in the prime minister’s accounts. In India, after Meloni’s visit for the G20, the hashtag Melodi (merger of the surnames of the two leaders) burst into the country, with which users spread thousands of memes that told of a phantom relationship between the two.
In his most recent publication, Meloni He thanked the leaders who attended the summit and Pope Francis. “You have made this summit even more meaningful,” the prime minister wrote.
