G7 meeting in France: What’s on agenda, who is attending?
The war in Iran, Ukraine and economic challenges are expected to be a key part of the agenda. The Ukraine war, trade tensions and the
The war in Iran, Ukraine and economic challenges are expected to be a key part of the agenda. The Ukraine war, trade tensions and the Iran-US conflict will be on the agenda as leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries are set to meet on Monday in the French town of Evian-les-Bains. United States President Donald Trump will join fellow world leaders at the summit after announcing a tentative deal with Iran to end the war. France holds the rotating presidency of the G7 nations, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US. The summit this year comes amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the Middle East conflict. Who is attending the summit and what is on the agenda? Here’s what we know Who is attending the summit this year? Besides leaders of the G7 countries and the European Union, which is also represented at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron has invited several heads of state from non-G7 countries as guests. These include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. While the leaders of India, Ukraine, Egypt and Qatar have confirmed their attendance, it is unclear if the Saudi crown prince will be attending this year’s summit.
Leaders of Australia, Brazil, Kenya and South Korea are also attending. Meanwhile, in March, South Africa announced that it had been disinvited from this year’s summit after initially being invited. South Africa’s ties with the US, one of its biggest trading partners, have deteriorated over its stand on the Israeli genocide in Gaza and the treatment of the white minority in the country – an issue Trump has raised multiple times, including during his meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House last May. The Trump administration has heaped pressure on South Africa, claiming it tacitly supports the persecution of white Afrikaner farmers in the country. But the US claims have not been backed by facts. Ramaphosa has rejected these claims. White Africans, who are less than 10 percent of the country’s population, own more than 70 percent of the land. Besides world leaders, AI executives from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Mistral AI are expected to attend, officials from France – who are crafting an agenda aimed at discussing the world’s crises and broad economic challenges – told the Reuters news agency. What is on the agenda? During the two-day summit in the French town, leaders are expected to discuss the situation in Ukraine and Iran, as well as world economic challenges.
The BriefWire