UAE, Saudi leaders expected at Italy's G7 summit as Meloni boosts Gulf ties

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan are among a group of Middle Eastern leaders invited to attend the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Italy on Thursday, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni seeks to boost Rome's relations with the Gulf states.

The G7 is an intergovernmental forum consisting of the following major economies: the United States, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan. Italy will host the group’s annual summit at the luxurious Borgo Egnazia hotel in the country’s southeast.

Italy has invited more than a dozen countries and entities to participate in this year’s meeting, which runs from Thursday through Saturday. The following Middle Eastern and North African leaders will attend, according to the event website:

• UAE's President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
• Jordan’s King Abdullah II
• Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune
• Tunisian President Kais Saied