"We work in great continuity with the Japanese presidency of the G7. The qualifying points are the support for Ukraine, the attention to all the countries of the global south, which the Japanese presidency started and which for us is realized with the attention to Africa, which is one of the priorities that we intend to bring to the attention of the G7. Moreover, there is the theme of Artificial Intelligence, on the centrality of humans. We carry forward the principle of Algoretic, which is to bring ethics into algorithms”. These are the fundamental themes on which Italy will base its presidency of the G7 in 2024. This was reiterated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a press point during her visit to Japan. Meloni also outlined some points of Italian foreign policy. The Indo-Pacific area, for example, is considered by the Italian government to be "inevitably strategic. I think it is a quadrant in which stability is fundamental, but also one that offers great opportunities for Italy, as is also seen in our relations with Japan. We have been asked for some time, particularly by Japan, to increase our presence in the area, including on defense cooperation, which then materializes with the Global Compact Air Program". "We have treasures in the military sphere" and “we try to make them more and more present in the area”. “In August the F-35s will arrive, for joint military exercises, then our ship Cavour with other aircraft, and the Amerigo Vespucci, our training ship”. Precisely on the issue of defense, Giorgia Meloni wanted to clarify the center-right government's vision in this regard, especially with regard to the global power relations between the United States and Europe, and their respective roles within NATO: “I am convinced of the importance of the Atlantic Alliance, but I am also convinced that, in order to function, it needs an American and a European column. In recent years we have not been focused enough on the need to ensure our defense, so that we can also ensure our political clout. When people talk about resources to defense, they always think they are unimportant resources. But the ability to defend also means the ability to weigh in internationally, and I think Europe has been too slow in this so far. It's not about rivalry with America, it's just about a system of counterweights”. When it comes to foreign policy, the stringent topicality cannot be separated from the situation in the Middle East. Giorgia Meloni, therefore, wanted to reiterate the importance of the Italian mission in ensuring trade in that area: “I think it is in our interest and our duty to ensure freedom of navigation. Through the Suez Canal, 15 % of world trade transits. If that canal were not available, we would have as an immediate feedback the increase of prices on 15% of the products coming from abroad. So it is in our interest to ensure freedom of navigation, and we are participating in a defensive mission to ensure that. I am also glad that Italy is taking command of this mission as a demonstration of our recognized role”.
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