Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives for the second day of the 50th G7 Summit in Borgo Egnazia, Fasano, Italy, June 14, 2024 Meeting with Pope Francis at the G7 leaders’ summit.
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Pope Francis made a historic appearance at the G7 summit on Friday to talk about the pros and cons of artificial intelligence, while G7 leaders also pledged to address what they say is China’s harmful business practices.
Summit host Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni has invited the pope and other heads of state and government, including the prime minister of India and the king of Jordan, to show that the G7 is not a cold, exclusive club.
“We will never accept the narrative of ‘the West versus the rest,'” Meloni said at Friday’s meeting.
The pope, who arrived in a wheelchair and was warmly welcomed by leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden and fellow Argentinian Javier Milley, acknowledged the ambivalence surrounding artificial intelligence, saying it could inspire excitement and expand the scope of knowledge acquisition.
“But at the same time, it could lead to greater injustice between developed and developing countries, or between dominant and oppressed social classes,” the 87-year-old said.
The core G7 members – the United States, Italy, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and Canada – had earlier been concerned about China’s economic influence and what they saw as uneven markets in areas such as electric vehicles, steel and renewable energy.
A summit statement issued late on Friday stressed that the G7 had no intention of harming China or hindering its economic development, but “continues to take action to protect our businesses from unfair practices, level the playing field and redress ongoing harm.” ”.
The G7 also warned of action against Chinese financial institutions that help Russia obtain weapons for its war in Ukraine.
Washington this week imposed new sanctions on Chinese companies that supply semiconductors to Russia, amid concerns about Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance toward Taiwan and its dispute with the Philippines over maritime claims.
Immigration Alliance
The leaders also discussed migration, a crucial issue for Meloni, who is pushing for Europe to help her curb illegal migration from Africa and launching a flagship program to boost development on the continent. Address the root causes of immigrant departure.
They agreed to form a coalition to combat human smuggling and to increase cooperation in investigating human trafficking networks and seizing their assets.
“Illegal immigration is now a global emergency,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. “We all agree that it is sovereign nations, not criminal gangs, that control our borders.”
Sunak said it was the first time immigration had been discussed at the G7 summit and hailed it as a sign of progress.
“Obviously, these things don’t happen overnight,” he said.
On the first day of meetings in southern Italy, G7 countries agreed to an outline deal to provide Ukraine with $50 billion in loans backed by interest on frozen Russian assets and hailed the deal as one of Western determination A powerful signal.
On June 14, 2024, on the second day of the 50th G7 Summit in Fasano, Italy, Pope Francis and world leaders held a working meeting on artificial intelligence (AI), energy, and African-Mediterranean issues. World leaders meet.
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In a statement at the summit, G7 leaders said they wanted to make Russia pay more for its invasion of Ukraine and pledged to impose sanctions on entities that helped Russia circumvent oil trade restrictions through fraudulent shipments.
However, right-wing government leader Meloni got into trouble over his handling of sensitive social issues in a statement summarizing the work of the G7.
G7 leaders did not directly mention abortion in their final communiqué, with Italy refusing to bow to French pressure to include the word. The draft also prompted accusations of watered down support for LGBTQ rights compared with statements made by the leaders at their last meeting in Japan.
Italy said it was a diplomatic storm in a teacup and argued that the G7 had not changed its position on either issue.
Many leaders, including Biden, are scheduled to leave Italy later on Friday. Remainers will have a chance to hold bilateral meetings on Saturday before Meloni holds his final press conference.
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