London, G7. Relations with Russia and China, post Covid and vaccines

• G7, diplomacy and deterrence: Russia, North Korea, Iran and pandemic in the Blinken bilateral in London

• G7: foreign ministers in London, mechanism against fake news.

  Blinken attacks China

Share

04 May 2021Comparing "between open and democratic societies and demonstrating unity at a time when it is necessary to counter the challenges we share and the threats that multiply". This is the goal of the British presidency of the G7 summarized in the welcome message issued by the host Dominic Raab against the background of the opening at Lancaster House in London of the first session of the meeting of the foreign ministers of the 7 (for Italy Luigi Di Maio) and the head of EU diplomacy, a month before the leaders' summit in Cornwall. Session dedicated among other things to thorny relations with Russia and China, and with Syria and Libya.

Raab, who yesterday offered an introductory dinner to the guests in which the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea were discussed in particular against the backdrop of Joe Biden's new US administration strategy based on a mix of "diplomacy and deterrence", a series of bilateral meetings are scheduled on the sidelines of the collective meeting, which will continue until tomorrow. Yesterday he has already seen, among others, the new US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, while in the next few hours he also has a face to face with Di Maio on his agenda. 

"The presidency of the G7 entrusted to the United Kingdom - he said in the note released by the Foreign Office at the beginning - is an opportunity to gather open and democratic societies and demonstrate unity in a time when it is very necessary to face the challenges we share and the threats. that multiply ". While the presence on the second day invests in additional guests "from our friends from Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa, as well as the current presidency of Asean, reflects the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific region for the G7", he said. continued the foreign minister of the government of Boris Johnson.   

The session that began this morning includes in particular discussions on China, Burma, Libya, Syria, Ethiopia, Russia and Afghanistan (with Di Maio called to open the works on Libya and Syria). While tomorrow there will be space, together with the host countries, to talk about "open society", free information, arbitrary detentions in the world, freedom of religion, cyber governance, online propaganda (with the announced rapid response mechanisms to the disinformation accused so much in Moscow as for Beijing), climate change, cooperation on post Covid and vaccines, sustainable recovery of the economy. Without forgetting the education of girls or the aid to female employment for which London has already announced a common commitment to allocate 15 billion dollars over the next 5 years.

Minister Luigi Di Maio is taking part today in the first working day of the G7 Ministerial for Foreign Affairs and Development in London. The day's work - reads a note from the Farnesina - will first focus on China and Myanmar; later, Minister Di Maio will introduce the themes of Libya and Syria. We will then move on to the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, the fight against terrorism in Somalia and the Sahel, in particular in Chad and Mali; then it will be the turn of the Western Balkans, a strategic region for European security, then of Russia and the Navalny case, and the situation in Belarus and Ukraine. A debate on Afghanistan will then follow, before a glimpse of the horizon on the Indo-Pacific Region. Minister Di Maio's program also includes several bilateral meetings, including one with the British Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab. 

Yesterday Di Maio met with the executive vice president of the European Commission and commissioner for the climate, Frans Timmermans. At the center of their conversation are environmental issues and the Conference on the Future of Europe, we read in a note from the Farnesina. The holder of the Farnesina first of all reaffirmed Italy's full support for the European Green Deal, a fundamental instrument for protecting the environment and a great opportunity for economic growth at a crucial moment for the recovery of the European economy. In this regard, Di Maio highlighted how Italy has worked on a particularly ambitious NRP on the theme of the environment, to which approximately 60 billion euros are destined, or more than 40% of the resources available, with the aim of making our economy more sustainable. Italy,the minister recalled, he also placed the energy-climate link at the center of his G20 Presidency, in order to promote climate neutrality and promote technological innovation. Di Maio then dwelt on Italy's commitment in the context of the Conference on the future of Europe, underlining how this should focus on the priorities of the citizens of the European Union, thus giving paramount importance to contributions from civil society and parliaments. national and listening to young people.Europe, underlining how this will have to focus on the priorities of the citizens of the European Union, thus giving paramount importance to contributions from civil society and national parliaments and listening to young people.Europe, underlining how this will have to focus on the priorities of the citizens of the European Union, thus giving paramount importance to contributions from civil society and national parliaments and listening to young people.