A seguire la traduzione di cortesia.

***

President Meloni: Thank you very much, Justin. Thank you very much and thank you for this warm welcome on this tour that I’m doing in the G7 countries to share the main topics I would like to bring to the G7 Leaders’ Summit that we will have in Puglia in June. I will be very happy to have you there, where you can taste also a bit of the Italian traditions and so on.
I think you are right when you say that there are many things that we are sharing and that we will have to share, and I am happy about that for you will be the next President of the G7, so it is important that we do work that can go on through the years. So, there are many results of the Japanese Presidency that I will be bringing through the Italian one, such as, for example, artificial intelligence and the role of the Indo-Pacific, but also the respect of the international rules-based order, so support to Ukraine, in this very difficult Middle East crisis, on which we also have to talk a lot, avoiding an escalation of the conflict. I was discussing that yesterday with Joe Biden too. And then, for example, as I was saying: artificial intelligence. I know it is a topic that we share, for it is a tool, but, as any one, it can be bad or good; it depends on how we govern it. So I’m concerned moreover about the impact that artificial intelligence, if we don’t govern it in the right way, could have on the labour market for example. So, I think it is a global issue that we have to discuss together. And I know that we are on the same path on many of these problems that we have to discuss in this very difficult era in which we are governing our countries.
And then, on the bilateral level, I’m very happy about the work we are doing today, for we are beginning a new era of our relationship, trying to enhance our cooperation. I think there are many, many topics on which we can do that, also for, as you know, we have this very big community here of Italian Canadians. So, next time, in an international meeting, I expect you to talk also a bit in Italian. So, we add another language, and I can help you on that if you want.

PM Trudeau: Grazie!

President Meloni: Prego! But, in any case - research, infrastructures, artificial intelligence, sustainable environmental transition: there are many, many things on which I think the Italian capacity can be put also on the table, and I hope that also on investments we can discuss a lot.
So, there is a big, big work to do. On the G7 Presidency and about our enhanced cooperation, my task is that we are concrete. So, we need to work on concrete results; it is better to have less but they have to be concrete. So, they have to change things, and that is something on which I know I can very well work with you.
So, thank you for hosting us and thank you for the work that we’ll do together.

***

Presidente Meloni: Grazie mille, Justin. Grazie mille, e ti ringrazio anche per il caloroso benvenuto in questo tour che sto facendo nei Paesi del G7 per condividere i temi principali che vorrei portare al Vertice dei Leader del G7 che si terrà in Puglia a giugno. Sarò molto felice di averti lì, dove potrai assaggiare anche un po' di tradizioni italiane.
Penso che tu abbia ragione quando dici che ci sono molte cose che condividiamo e che avremo da condividere, e sono contenta di questo perché tu sarai il prossimo Presidente del G7, e dunque è importante fare un lavoro che possa durare negli anni. Allora, ci sono molti risultati della Presidenza giapponese che porterò in quella italiana, come ad esempio l’intelligenza artificiale e il ruolo dell'Indo-Pacifico, ma anche il rispetto dell'ordine internazionale basato sulle regole, quindi il sostegno all'Ucraina, in questa difficilissima crisi in Medio Oriente, su cui dobbiamo anche parlare molto, evitando un'escalation del conflitto. Ne stavo discutendo ieri anche con Joe Biden. E poi, per esempio, come dicevo: l'intelligenza artificiale. So che questo è un argomento che condividiamo, perché è uno strumento, ma, come tutti, può essere cattivo o buono; dipende da come lo governiamo. Mi preoccupa inoltre l'impatto che l'intelligenza artificiale, se non la governiamo nel modo giusto, potrebbe avere, ad esempio, sul mercato del lavoro. Quindi, penso che sia una questione globale che dobbiamo discutere insieme. E so che siamo sulla stessa strada per quanto riguarda molti dei problemi che dobbiamo discutere in questi tempi di grande difficoltà in cui ci troviamo a governare i nostri Paesi.
E poi, a livello bilaterale, sono molto contenta del lavoro che stiamo facendo oggi, perché stiamo iniziando una nuova era delle nostre relazioni, cercando di rafforzare la nostra cooperazione. Penso che ci siano moltissimi temi su cui possiamo farlo, anche perché, come sai, qui c’è una comunità molto grande di italo-canadesi. Allora, al prossimo incontro internazionale, mi aspetto che parli anche un po' in italiano. Quindi aggiungiamo un'altra lingua, e ti posso aiutare con questo, se vuoi.

PM Trudeau: Grazie!

Presidente Meloni: Prego! Ma, in ogni caso – ricerca, infrastrutture, intelligenza artificiale, transizione ambientale sostenibile: ci sono molte, moltissime cose su cui penso che le capacità italiane possano essere messe a disposizione, e spero che anche sugli investimenti possiamo discutere molto.
C'è quindi un grandissimo lavoro da fare. Per quanto riguarda la Presidenza del G7 e la nostra cooperazione rafforzata, il mio compito è che siamo concreti. Dobbiamo quindi lavorare su risultati concreti; è meglio averne di meno, ma devono essere concreti. Devono quindi cambiare le cose, e su questo so di poter lavorare molto bene con te.
Quindi, grazie per l’ospitalità, e grazie per il lavoro che faremo insieme.

[Traduzione di cortesia]

“I am pleased to announce that, after 24 years of imprisonment in the United States, the authorisation to transfer Chico Forti to Italy has just been signed. 

This result is thanks to this Government’s diplomatic efforts and the cooperation with the Government of the State of Florida and with the Federal Government of the United States, whom I thank. 

It is a day of joy for Chico, for his family and for all of us. We had promised this, we have done it, and we now await Chico in Italy”.

[Courtesy translation]

Well, I’m delighted to be here today in my capacity as G7 Chair, and I look forward, Joe, to hosting you in Puglia next June for the leaders’ summit.
I’m working on a concrete and substantial G7 summit. We intend first and foremost to reaffirm the rules-based international order, defending freedom and building peace for Ukraine.
And, in doing this, I think we need to tackle the narrative that wants “the West against the rest”. So, our dialogue within the G7 with the Global South is essential. 

The crisis in the Middle East is of the utmost concern. We need to coordinate our actions in order to avoid an escalation and, in this regard, we fully support the US mediation efforts.
The humanitarian crisis is our number one priority. Italy is concentrating its contribution on this. Meanwhile, we are cooperating with all regional actors that must be part of any future outcome. We should work together on concrete steps to guarantee the two-state perspective, which is the only long-term sustainable solution. And then, the Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels that endanger freedom of navigation in the Red Sea are unacceptable. EU naval operation Aspides, that, as you know, is under Italian tactical command, is an important response to the disruption of transit through the Red Sea.

Then, building on Italy’s role in the Mediterranean, the G7 will pay special attention also to the African continent. We’ve been discussing it, many times, for I think we have to remember that Africa is not a poor continent; it is, on the contrary, incredibly rich in human and material resources, but it has been neglected and exploited with a predatory approach for a long time. I want to reverse this approach, together with you, which is also a root cause of the migration crisis. We need to support Africa’s development on an equal basis and put an end to illegal migration while fighting human trafficking. Human trafficking has become the most financially rewarding crime globally, and we cannot accept it any longer. For this reason, I came here today also with a proposal to launch a global alliance against human traffickers.

The G7 will discuss artificial intelligence as well. AI is a means, it can be a good or a bad one, it depends on our capacity to govern it, to tackle the risks and the impact it can have, for example on the labour market. We want to develop AI, but also we want to be certain that it remains human centered.

And then, last but not least, I came here to boost our strategic cooperation. Our relations are enriched by the presence of more than 20 million Italian Americans. During our last meeting here in Washington, we said we wanted to improve our bilateral cooperation and our trade, and we did it, for in 2023 our bilateral trade reached the highest amount ever with USD 102 billion of exchange.

So, I think we did a good job but I also think that we can do even better, and I hope this will be our mutual goal for this year. Thank you, Joe.