G7 LEADERS MEET IN ITALY WITH GAZA AND UKRAINE TOP OF THEIR AGENDAS

 

Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni is welcoming leaders of the world's seven richest nations at the G7 summit in Italy

• Representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US will discuss issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza

• The G7 summit will also involve leaders from Africa and the Indo-Pacific region, and will discuss economic co-operation with developing countries

• The group cannot pass laws. However, some of their past decisions have had global effects, including backing a deal in 2021 to tax multinational companies

• This year, the summit is expected to agree a plan to use frozen Russian assets to raise billions of dollars for Ukraine

• Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni is welcoming leaders of the world's seven richest nations at the G7 summit in Italy

• Representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US will discuss issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza

• The G7 summit will also involve leaders from Africa and the Indo-Pacific region, and will discuss economic co-operation with developing countries

• The group cannot pass laws. However, some of their past decisions have had global effects, including backing a deal in 2021 to tax multinational companies

• This year, the summit is expected to agree a plan to use frozen Russian assets to raise billions of dollars for Ukraine.

• G7 not a 'self-enclosed fortress' says Meloni in opening remarkspublished at 11:26

  11:26

  IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

  In her opening remarks around the round table, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says the goal of Italy's leadership of the G7 is to "give value to what unites us" and to be able to "dialogue with all".

  The group is not a "self-enclosed fortress" she says, but instead a "container of values" we want to "open to the world".

  Meloni says Puglia - a region on the south-east coast of Italy - was chosen to host the summit as it represents their desire to strengthen relationships with the global south.

  Over the next three days, she says, they have plans to discuss the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as building on Japan's premiership of the organisation last year, by working on supply chains and artificial intelligence.

  Meloni thanks her fellow leaders for attending the summit, saying she has "great pride" at being able to welcome them to Puglia.

• A very big wooden tablepublished at 11:18

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  Here's a sneak peak at that table from the first session of the first day of talks - on Africa, climate change and development.

  

• THIS AND MORE UPDATES AT: G7 summit live: Leaders meet in Italy with Ukraine and Gaza on agenda