In the final communiqué of the G7 summit, references to the protection of ‘gender identity and sexual orientation’ for the LGBT community, which were included in the previous G7 communiqué from Hiroshima, have reportedly been omitted. Furthermore, the lack of “abortion” in the final statement drew criticism from French President Macron.
Bloomberg linked these omissions to the unprecedented attendance of Pope Francis at the G7 summit.
First visit by a Pope to G7
Pope Francis made history on Friday by becoming the first pontiff to attend a G7 summit, arriving by helicopter at the Puglia resort of Borgo Egnazia. During the summit, the Pope will also participate in a working session focused on artificial intelligence and conduct ten bilateral meetings.
These meetings include discussions with US President Biden, Ukrainian President Zelensky, French President Macron, and Turkish President Erdogan.
Other notable meetings include those with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
Not a time for campaigning Meloni tells Macron
Premier Giorgia Meloni expressed her dissatisfaction with French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of electioneering at the G7 summit in Puglia. This criticism arose in response to a dispute over the omission of the right to abortion in the final declaration.
Macron, who called a snap election in France, voiced his regret that “abortion” was not mentioned in the statement. He attributed it to “different sensibilities.”
Meloni responded, saying, “There is no reason to cause controversy about issues that we have long agreed on. And I think it is profoundly wrong, in difficult times like these, to use a precious forum like the G7 to campaign.”
Meloni stressed the conclusions of the summit echoed the commitments made at the Hiroshima G7. Then the G7 communiqué explicitly mentioned ensuring abortion is “safe and legal.” Meloni criticised the controversy as a “total pretext”. She asserted the omission of new issues was to avoid unnecessary repetition, simply reaffirming what was previously stated.
The tension between Meloni and Macron seemed to ease later when Macron kissed Meloni’s hand during the dinner.
