NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 20 – The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a full day of bilateral meetings in New York ahead of her speech tonight at the General Assembly. This morning, Meloni participated in the debate at the Security Council (where she listened to the main speeches, including that of President Volodymyr Zelensky – whom she later met on the sidelines.
Energy, migration, and bilateral cooperation were at the center of discussions in the morning with the presidents of Rwanda, Algeria, Malawi, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In the afternoon, she had a face-to-face meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. They discussed Italy’s collaboration with the UN, Italy’s priorities for the G7 presidency in 2024, as well as the migration crisis and efforts to advance sustainable development goals in Africa. On this last point, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for greater and coordinated commitment to Africa, highlighting the possibility that crises on the continent could become growth opportunities.
Guterres fully endorsed Italy’s approach to Africa and expressed appreciation for Italy’s significant contribution to the UN in all areas of activity. He also mentioned the Summit on Food Systems in Rome, describing it as a great success. Another topic at the center of their conversation was artificial intelligence and the prospects for development that ensure the centrality of humans. They both agreed to work together on this issue.
With the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, the Prime Minister emphasized her interest in deepening collaboration, starting with the biofuels and innovation sectors. The two leaders also agreed to jointly address the challenges and opportunities presented by migration with a broad and cooperative approach. In this context, they also discussed bilateral collaboration in cybersecurity and technological innovation. With Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Meloni found “excellent harmony” on the migration issue and reiterated her commitment in Europe to draw attention to the need for a new approach focused on the development of African economies. On the sidelines of the General Assembly, President Meloni also met with the President of President Malawi, Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, who expressed his appreciation for the strategic attention given to Africa by the Italian government. President Chakwera also expressed deep gratitude for development collaboration projects in Malawi, particularly in the field of food security.
The meeting with Trudeau focused on the collaboration between the two countries within the G7 framework, in light of the upcoming Italian presidency and Canada’s subsequent presidency. Meloni outlined the priorities of the Italian presidency, which include continued support for Ukraine, increased attention to African issues, and the search for solutions to transform crises into development opportunities. They also placed significant emphasis on the challenges of artificial intelligence, with the aim of ensuring that it becomes a tool in service of humanity, in line with ethical principles. (@OnuItalia)
