Italy is all set to host the 50th G7 Summit from June 13 to 15 onwards. With the G7 Summit 2024, Italy has now assumed the presidency of the group for the seventh time.
Ahead of the summit, prominent leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman have been invited.
As per the official website, Italy assumed presidency of the G7 on January 1 from Japan and will hold it till December 31. The main G7 Leaders Summit will be held from June 13 to 15 in Apulia.
"We have a great responsibility on our shoulders and we intend to honour it to the best of our ability, once again showing how capable Italy is of charting the course ahead," stated PM Meloni.
With the group of seven - France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada - scheduled to meet in just a few days, growing Russian aggression due to the Ukraine war remains at the top of the agenda.
G7 Summit 2024 Date, Agenda And Key Issues
Italy will host the G7 Summit from June 13 to 15, 2024 in Borgo Egnazia (Fasano), Apulia.
The summit will have the leaders of the G7 countries as well as the President of the European Union and the president of the European Commission.
As per the official website, some of the top issues on the agenda for the Italy-led summit are the Russia Ukraine war and Israel-Gaza war.
Italy has also put Artificial Intelligence on the table in order to "develop governance mechanisms and ensure that AI remains human-centered and human-controlled."
The focus on AI remains crucial for the coming future. In the US,AI has posed a major risk for the upcoming presidential elections by aiding to the spread of fake and misinformation.
Furthermore, the inclusion of AI in the agenda also comes after the Italian PM sued a father-son duo last year for creating and releasing AI-generated pornographic videos of the leader.
Apart from this, improving ties with Africa, and increasing partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region will also be in focus.
G7 Summit 2024: PM Modi, Saudi's MBS To Attend
The most recent addition of the G7 guest list is Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi leader was invited by Italian PM Meloni and will now join at least 12 other leaders and heads of government in the G7 Summit.
Along with MBS, newly sworn-in three time PM Narendra Modi will also be visiting Italy for the G7 Summit. The summit will be Modi's first international trip since assuming the office of the Prime Minister for a third consecutive term.
Apart from MBS and Modi, leaders from South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, Algeria, Kenya and Mauritania have also been invited and are expected to attend.
