President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the latest addition to the guest list at a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy next month, the Rome government said Wednesday, as it seeks to broaden the gathering beyond the usual seven industrial democracies. Several African and South American countries have been invited to the so-called outreach meetings, Reuters reported in April, and this week Italy said United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan would also be attending.
Italy this year holds the rotating presidency of the G7 – which also includes the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Japan – and will host the summit at the resort of Borgo Egnazia, in the southern region of Puglia, on June 13-15. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may also be present, sources close to the matter told Reuters, though his attendance has not yet been officially confirmed. Pope Francis will also be among those attending the Puglia meeting, where he will discuss the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
Italy's announcement of the inclusion of Erdoğan came after a phone call between the Turkish leader and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. During the call, Erdoğan urged Italy to join the growing number of countries recognizing the State of Palestine, after Norway, Ireland and Spain.
The country assumed the G-7 presidency in January and already hosted a series of meetings of lower-level officials while leaders of member states will attend the main event in Borgo Egnazia. Topics the leaders will discuss will likely include ongoing conflicts, from the Russia-Ukraine war to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Türkiye is among few countries maintaining good ties both with Ukraine and Russia. As for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Ankara strictly sides with Palestine and refuses to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Erdoğan has repeatedly slammed Western countries, particularly the United States, for its support of Israel.
