Italy releases G7 guest list and schedule
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G7 host Italy published its programme and guest list for the leaders' summit in Puglia this week, with talks on Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine kicking off the event.
Against a backdrop of rising global tensions, the June 13-15 summit will see leaders of the Group of Seven rich nations, including US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron and Japanese premier Fumio Kishida, gather at the luxury southern Italian resort of Borgo Egnazia.
Other guests, from Pope Francis to Indian premier Narendra Modi, have been invited by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to round out the exclusive event, but they will not participate in official G7 discussions.
From Africa are due to arrive Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Tunisia's Kais Saied, Kenyan President William Ruto and Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, the president of Mauritania.
Africa, climate change and development are the topics of the opening session of the G7 on Thursday. They will be followed by a session devoted to the Middle East and then talks on Ukraine -- considered the top focus of the summit -- before an official dinner.
The guest list published Tuesday also includes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Argentine President Javier Milei and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from Brazil -- which holds the rotating presidency of the G20.
Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also plans to attend, as does Jordanian King Abdullah II, according to the list.
Italian diplomatic sources had suggested Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would attend, but his name did not appear on Tuesday's list.
From the G7 nations Britain, Germany and Canada come Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, respectively.
Friday's programme will feature talks on migration, the Indo-Pacific and economic security, followed by a discussion on artificial intelligence attended by Pope Francis.
The summit is expected to wrap up by 7:00 pm local time (1700 GMT) Friday, with a final press conference from Meloni on Saturday afternoon.