Crosetto opened the work of the G7 Defense. Also in Naples Rutte and Borrell

Minister Guido Crosetto opened the work of the G7 Defense, which takes place at the Royal Palace of Naples. Crosetto welcomed the delegations of the countries of the group of seven. Also present are the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell. Crosetto’s arrival in Piazza del Plebiscito was accompanied by the notes of the national anthem. The one hosted by Italy is the first G7 Defense meeting in history. The delegations are guided John Healey, United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence; Bill Blair, Minister of Defense of Canada; Boris Pistorius, Federal Minister of Defense of Germany; Gen Nakatani, Minister of Defense of Japan; Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense; Sebastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces of France. At the center of the work will be issues related to the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, with a focus on Africa and the Indo-Pacific.

“Russia’s brutal aggressions in Ukraine and the very critical situation in the Middle East, combined with the profound instability found in Sub-Saharan Africa and the escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific, highlight a deteriorated security framework, with prospects for the future that cannot be positive,” he said. “We find ourselves faced with extremely fluid scenarios characterized by instability – he adds – with an escalation that goes from strategic competitiveness to an open and continuous confrontation. The use of military power and hybrid tools to obtain territorial advances and malicious expansions in areas of influence are sadly the recurring modus operandi.”

However, it all started with a lucky croissant that was given to Crosetto as a sign of good luck on the eve of the G7 meeting. The minister showed it to the photographers lined up in front of the grand staircase of the Royal Palace. “Now I’ll let you take a nice picture,” he said, smiling. The croissant was given to him yesterday by master craftsman Genny Di Virgilio during the gala dinner.

The meeting with Nakatani

There was talk of how to increase collaboration between Italy and Japan during the bilateral meeting held in Naples, on the first day of the G7 Defense, between the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto and the Minister of Defense of Japan, Gen Nakatani. Crosetto defined it as a “valuable conversation” on the occasion of the G7 Defense” who also underlines in a post on social media that Italy and Japan are “united by historic friendship”. “Today we talked about how to further increase our collaboration , in the wake of what has been done recently. The excellent cooperation between the navies and the air force is – states government minister Meloni – fertile ground in which to invest”. “The Global combat air program (GCAP) must be the first step towards ever deeper collaboration – states Crosetto – in the advanced technologies sector, in research and development. Indo-Pacific area crucial for Italy”.

The meeting with Healey

“Valuable conversation with the English colleague. The armed forces of Italy and the United Kingdom have collaborated profitably for years and the two countries are united by historic bonds of friendship. Disinformation, emerging technologies, hybrid conflicts, require joint efforts and initiatives on which the two countries intend working together. The Gcap will be a further stimulus to grow collaboration and industrial cooperation also in other sectors with a high technological content”, wrote Crosetto on X, describing the conversation with Healey.