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Watch: G7 defence ministers meet in Naples amid Middle East tensions and Ukraine crisis

Sophie Thompson
Saturday 19 October 2024 04:04 EDT
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G7 ministers are arriving in Naples for a defence summit today (19 October), amid rising global tensions.

Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto claims to have initiated the summit, and it’s the first of its kind.

“I found it surreal that the seven largest economies in the world have met to talk about all the issues, from tourism, to culture, to energy... and they didn’t find themselves talking together about defense in a historic moment like the one we’re experiencing,” Crosetto said of the annual G7 summit which took place in June.

Italy has 1,000 troops currently placed around Lebanon as part of a UNIFIL peacekeeping force.

Conversations of the day are thought to be centred around escalations in the Middle East, particularly Israel and Hamas, just days after their leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed.

Leaders will also focus on Ukraine, who is coming up to its third anniversary since Russia invaded.

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