On April 10-11 the G7 Foreign Affairs Ministers will meet in Lucca
The G7 Ministers of Foreign Affairs will meet on 10-11 April in Lucca. A traditional meeting held once a year between the seven most industrialised countries of the world with the participation of the European Union, the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting usually deals with the most urging problems in the international agenda. Ministers meet around a table in an informal way where open, direct and frank discussions facilitate understanding and coordination.
This year in Lucca, under the Italian Presidency, Ministers will focus on the common fight against terrorism, the situation in Libya and Ukraine, the latest worrying developments in North Korea..
The first priority of the G7 members is the total eradication of ISIL/Da’esh from the areas it controls in Syria and Iraq. Countering terrorism and violent extremism, wherever they develop, remain pressing urgencies that will be pursued by bringing perpetrators to justice while upholding at the universal principles of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the values of inclusion, peaceful co-existence and tolerance.
The Mediterranean as a melting pot of peoples and a crossroad of tensions will be at the forefront of discussions. Africa will emerge as the promising challenge of the next decades and its ownership on sustainable development, democratic governance, peace and stability will be recognized. Libya as well will be a crucial topic of the meeting and Ministers will stress their cohesive support for the political agreement of Skhirat and for an inclusive political dialogue and national reconciliation which should lead to consolidation of State institutions, to a better management of migration flows and to an improved capacity to fight criminal activity. Iran will take a crucial place in the agenda by stressing the importance of a full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by all parties, as a step to move forward the country’s full reintegration within the international community.
Ministers will also recall their concern for the still ongoing crisis in Ukraine and they will reiterate their commitment to the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Another top priority will remain North Korea and its defiant policy against the entire international community with the recent dramatic increase of its nuclear and ballistic program.
The need for an international strategic framework in cyber security will be confirmed as a crucial issue for the stability and prosperity of our societies.
Finally, as the UN Secretary General Guterres takes on his responsibilities, Ministers will express their full support to his agenda aimed at enhancing, including through reforms, the effectiveness of the Organization in peacekeeping, conflict prevention and mediation. They will also support the Secretary General’s efforts to make the United Nations more fit to address current multifaceted threats and challenges to peace and security.