A note published on the official website of the Italian Ministry of Defense highlights that this event, according to its organizers, has among its purposes “to promote debates on the main conflicts and areas of instability at a global level, to define common political understandings and share possible lines of action.”
It also has the stated objective of promoting the role of the G7, made up of Italy, the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as an effective consultation forum to address regional and international political and military issues.
In addition to the defence ministers of this group, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Mark Rutte, as well as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and Rustem Umerov, Ukrainian Defence Minister, will also participate in this meeting.
Umerov will take part in the debate about the current war between his country and Russia, during which representatives of the member countries of this forum will reaffirm their support for Kyiv, especially on the military level, and will analyze the actions to support the so-called Plan for Victory against Moscow, analysts say.
The worsening of the war in the Middle East will also be assessed, following the increase in Israeli bombings against the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, as well as the threat faced in the latter country by the troops of the United Nations peacekeeping mission, due to recent attacks by the Israeli army on its bases.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto demanded that Israel cease its actions against the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (Unifil), which “are not errors or accidents” but “serious acts that violate international law.”
On the other hand, he pointed out, “we are witnessing a systematic use of force in Gaza and Lebanon, and the victims are mainly civilians who are already suffering from an ongoing conflict,” and reiterated the commitment of his government, current pro tempore president of the G7, to a diplomatic solution, considered the only viable way.
This meeting in Naples is taking place amid protests, as part of which protesters blocked some entrances to the port of that city from early morning and placed signs denouncing the G7 leaders that “Your defense is equal to war.”
New demonstrations against the event are planned for next Saturday by various political, trade union and social groups who, according to its organizers, reject the idea that this city is “the scene of a meeting that will probably pave the way for larger-scale conflicts.”
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