Italy’s Taormina hosts G7 summit

The 43rd summit of the G7, the group of most industrialized economies, opened in Taormina, a town in Italy’s Sicily, today.

Friday’s plenary sessions will be devoted to foreign policy and security issues. In the wake of the deadly terror attack in Manchester, the war on terror tops the agenda of the summit.

A joint statement on tightening measures on countering terrorism and extremism will be included in the final declaration, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said, noting that the discussions are not expected to be "easy."

Italy has stated many times that one of its priorities is to stabilize relations with Russia and hold a dialogue on an equal basis to solve major international crises, what is impossible without Moscow, TASS reported.

The big points of difference between the new US leader and the rest of the G7 leaders include US President Donald Trump’s threat to bail out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on combating climate change and his call for trade protectionism. The intrigue also remains around Russia. The leaders are likely to discuss relations with Moscow, especially in the context of ensuring international stability.

One interesting aspect of the summit is that it is the first G7 for four leaders –  British PM Theresa May, President Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and Paolo Gentiloni.