G7 foreign affairs ministers focus on the Middle East and Ukraine

High-security measures surround the G7 foreign affairs ministers’ two-day summit in Italy, which began on Monday.

Leaders are under increasing pressure to advance diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

The summit is taking place in the historic town of Fiuggi, southeast of Rome, with discussions focused on achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

As the G7 ministers gathered, Israel’s ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog, told Israeli Army Radio that a ceasefire agreement to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon might be finalised within days.

“Knock on wood,” was Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reaction to the news as he opened the Group of Seven meeting outside Rome. “Let’s hope it’s true and that there’s no backing down at the last minute,” he added.

Arab countries show their desire for stability

Also for the first time, the G7 ministers were joined by their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, the so-called “Arab Quintet,” as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League.

“We need a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire. That will stop the killings and stop the destruction and restore a sense of normalcy to life,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the conference.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed that Cairo would host a minister-level conference next Monday on mobilising international aid for Gaza.

For their part, the world’s leading industrialised nations expressed cautious optimism about possible progress on a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Everyone favours a ceasefire in both scenarios,” Tajani told reporters, adding that Italy had offered to take on an even greater peacekeeping role in Lebanon to oversee any ceasefire deal.

A risky move from Tajani

Tajani added another item to the G7 agenda last week after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister and Hamas’ military chief.

Nathalie Tocci, director of the Rome-based Institute for International Affairs think tank, warned that inserting the ICC warrant into the G7 agenda was risky since the US is the lone member that is not a signatory to the court and yet tends to dictate the G7 line.

Tajani later acknowledged consensus hadn’t been reached among the G7 members on how to proceed with Israel.

“We can also not agree with how his government has led the reaction after the massacre of Oct. 7, but now we have to deal with Netanyahu to arrive at peace in Lebanon, peace in Palestine,” Tajani said.

The top diplomats met for the final time before a new US administration takes office.