As a seasoned crisis team from North America, Europe and Asia, the G7 is working closely together in extremely difficult times. What guides us is a clear common compass. We are committed to an international order that is underpinned by the rule of law and international law. We are committed to economic relations on a level playing field. And as democracies, we know that confidence in these values and trust in us as partners is not a gift, but is something we must keep on working to promote around the world.

At our meeting, we will discuss how we can prevent the highly dangerous situation in the Middle East from turning into a regional conflagration following Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel. As the G7, we are speaking with one voice. All players in the region are called upon to exercise maximum restraint. Escalating violence is not good for anyone – be it the security of Israel, the many dozens of hostages still in the hands of Hamas, the suffering population of Gaza, the many people in Iran who are themselves suffering under the regime or the third countries in the region.

No matter what method of warfare Russia employs against Ukraine, we have been standing together against this for two years now – with unprecedented sanctions, a winter protective shield, a joint effort to ensure energy supplies and an increasingly close-knit network of bilateral security commitments for Ukraine. We and our partners around the world must now be just as resolute in our defence against Russian terror from the air. Stronger air defences are a matter of life and death for thousands of people in Ukraine and the best protection for our own security. This is something that requires our full commitment.

If we can be relied upon and if the concerns of global partners for a fair international order are also our priority, then we will be trusted. That is why we will reiterate in Capri that Japan has passed the Presidency of the G7 to Italy this year and our compass remains in place.

If an increasingly harsh political wind buffets the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific, then not only the G7’s Pacific neighbours will feel it. We are also feeling this wind in Europe, and the countries in the region themselves have long since felt it. They are rightly placing their trust in international rules that apply to everyone and that we as democracies stand up for them.

With this in mind, Capri must send a signal of reliability to our partners around the world that we will, together, continue to take seriously what their trust in us is founded on: the implementation of global climate goals, the fight against hunger and the expansion of infrastructure and economic opportunities without obstacles or double agendas – for a fair international order. It is therefore all the more important that Italy intends to build an even closer bridge to our neighbouring continent by focusing on the G7 partnership with African countries.