UAE President expected at G7 Summit in Italy as Giorgia Meloni boosts Gulf ties

G7 host Italy has published its programme and guest list for the leaders’ summit in Puglia from June 13 to 15. Meticulous discussions on Africa, climate change and development, Middle East and Ukraine are kicking off the annual event.

Held against a backdrop of rising global tensions, the G7 Summit has convened leaders of the Group of Seven advanced economies at the luxury southern Italian resort of Borgo Egnazia. Migration, Indo-Pacific/ Economic Security, AI and energy will also remain in focus.

The G7 is an intergovernmental forum consisting of the US, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, the UK and Japan. Leaders of the seven advanced economies gathered for the family photo, besides the presidents of both the European Council and European Commission.

G7 Italy guest list: UAE President expected to attend

Italy has invited more than a dozen countries and entities to participate in this year’s meeting. From Pope Francis to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been invited by Meloni to round out the exclusive event, but they will not participate in official G7 discussions.

The guest list published on Tuesday also includes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Javier Milei of Argentina and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the President of Brazil – which holds the rotating presidency of the G20.

UAE leader Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed also plans to attend the Puglia event, as does King Abdullah II of Jordan. Italian diplomatic sources had suggested Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would attend, but his name did not appear on Tuesday’s list.

UAE-Italy rising relations as Meloni seeks better Gulf ties

This year’s G7 Summit includes sessions on the Middle East, Ukraine, migration, economic security in the Indo-Pacific region, climate change and development in Africa, and energy and AI in the Africa-Mediterranean region, according to the official schedule.

UAE-Italy trade relations are on the rise. Italy considers the UAE as strategically valuable and seeks to boost Rome’s relations with the Gulf states. Italy exported $6.52 billion to the UAE in 2022, including over $1.19 billion in jewellery.

The same year, the Emirates exported $2.75 billion to Italy, including $646 million in refined petroleum. Bilateral trade in 2022 thus amounted to roughly $9.25 billion, up from around $8.8 billion in 2021, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.