Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed on Monday to work together to ensure a successful G7 summit in June, with Italy taking over the presidency from Japan this year.
During the meeting in Tokyo, the two leaders discussed the outcomes of the G7 summit held in Kishida’s hometown of Hiroshima in May 2023, including establishing rules to prevent misuse of artificial intelligence technology.
Mr. Kishida and Mr. Meloni also exchanged views on how to deal with China’s growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, and reaffirmed their cooperation in supporting Ukraine, which has been under Russian aggression for the past two years.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Republican) and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands before their meeting in Tokyo on February 5, 2024 (Kyodo News) ==Kyodo News
In Hiroshima, G7 leaders pledged “unwavering support” to Ukraine amid the civil war, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy joining the session on the final day of the three-day meeting.
Meloni told Kishida that Italy will focus on how to tackle climate change and energy security at the next summit, as well as how to work with emerging and developing countries in the Global South. He said he plans to do so.
At a joint press conference after the meeting, Meloni praised Kishida and said he had successfully completed the 2023 G7 summit, which Kishida described as very complicated.
Prime Minister Kishida said he “welcomes Italy’s commitment” to host the G7 summit, “building on the results of the Hiroshima summit.” This year’s G7 summit is scheduled to be held in Puglia, southern Italy, from June 13th to 15th.
On the defense front, Kishida and Meloni discussed a tripartite project with Britain to develop next-generation fighter jets in the face of increasingly serious security challenges, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Late last year, the defense ministers of Japan, Italy and the UK agreed to set up a coordinating body to move the project forward, a key step in implementing the plan.
The G7 group includes the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States, plus the European Union.
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