President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Javier Milei, president of Argentina, will participate in the G7 summit next week, in Italy, authorities said this Friday (7).
They will join Pope Francis, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other heads of state and government invited by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The exceptionally long guest list reflects Italy’s desire to broaden the horizons of the G7, a group made up of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union.
“The G7 brings together countries that share fundamental principles and norms, but it is not closed like a fortress. It is open to the world”, said an official who did not wish to be identified.
Diplomats had previously released a list of many of the participants in the meeting, which takes place between June 13 and 15, including leaders from India, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, Algeria, Kenya and Mauritania.
All of these countries have already confirmed their presence, marking the first trip abroad for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi since winning re-election this week, and for President Cyril Ramaphosa, who lost an absolute majority in South Africa this month.
Much of the attention, however, will focus on a possible meeting between Lula and Milei South American neighbors who have been openly critical of each other in recent months.
In addition, the Saudi Crown Prince and King Abdullah of Jordan will participate in discussions in Borgo Egnazia, an exclusive resort in the southeast region of Puglia, highlighting concern about the situation in the Middle East.
This is believed to be the first time that a leader from Saudi Arabia, a country regularly accused of human rights violations, has been invited to participate in a G7 summit.
“We don’t always have the same approach, but it is through dialogue and understanding different needs that results are achieved,” explained an Italian official.
As he did last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the G7 meeting, attending a session on June 13 dedicated to his country’s conflict with Russia.
Other leaders will participate in the discussions on June 14, a Friday.
The main guest, however, will be Pope Francis, who will be the first pontiff to participate in a meeting of the group. He will be the keynote speaker in a session dedicated to the risks and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence.
Critics accuse the G7 of being elitist and arrogant. By attracting so many guests, Italy hopes to strengthen consensus on critical issues such as relations with China, while also drawing attention to problems in the Global South, especially Africa.
Source: CNN Brasil
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