Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands after a joint press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.
February 6, 2024 12:48 (Japan time)
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday confirmed that the two countries will work closely together to ensure the success of the next G7 summit to be held in Italy in June this year. .
They also agreed to hold the first director-general-level talks between foreign and defense authorities in March to deepen security cooperation.
This is the first time since 2015 that an Italian prime minister will visit Japan for purposes other than an international conference.
Speaking at the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Kishida said he welcomed Italy’s commitment to carry on the achievements of Japan’s G7 presidency last year. Meloni said he will take over the baton and strive to achieve great results.
The two leaders stated that they would continue their efforts, including the maintenance and development of an international order based on the rule of law, based on the progress made at the Hiroshima summit meeting in May.
Mr. Kishida and Mr. Meloni also welcomed progress in cooperation in the field of defense and security, including this year’s joint naval exercises and port calls of Italian naval vessels. The joint development of a next-generation fighter aircraft by Japan, Italy, and the UK is progressing as planned, and the two leaders agreed to redouble their efforts to smoothly advance the project.
Furthermore, in addition to imposing strong sanctions on Russia and continuing support for Ukraine, the two countries agreed to cooperate in responding to China’s efforts to become more hegemonic and the situation in the Middle East.