Italy's foreign minister and deputy premier Antonio Tajani is among top politicians, military officials and diplomats attending a global meeting in Munich where the Israel-Hamas war, Red Sea security and the Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine will occupy centre-stage.
During the three-day Munich Security Conference which kicks off on Friday, Tajani will chair the first foreign ministers' meeting of the Italy's G7 presidency, according to a foreign ministry statement.
The G7 foreign ministers' meeting on Saturday will open with a discussion on the crisis in the Gaza Strip and its effects on the wider Middle East. The ministers will then "exchange views" on the situation in the Red Sea, where commercial shipping has been under attack from Yemen's Houthi militants since November.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba will take part in the second part of the meeting during which ministers will focus on continuing G7 support for Kiev as the Russia-Ukraine war grinds towards its third year.
Several accords are expected to be signed at the meeting, with Italy intending to help reconstruct Ukraine's war-devastated energy sector with the involvement of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the statement said.
The Horn of Africa, growing food insecurity and relations between the West and China are also among major international issues on the agenda at the annual Munich Security Conference, which focuses on defence and diplomacy.
Tajani is set to address a conference session on the war in Ukraine, together with Kuleba, the Danish premier Mette Frederiksen, Germany's economy minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, and former United States House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, said the statement.
Tajani will hold talks with counterparts on the sidelines of the confernece, which is also being attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US vice-president Kamala Harris, Ukraine's president Voldymyr Zelensky, Israel's president Isaac Herzog and Palestinian premier Mohammad Shtayyeh.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken is also expected to join the conference.
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