Erdoğan attends G7 summit to highlight Gaza crisis

BORGO EGNAZIA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has arrived at the G7 summit held in Italy's Puglia region, joining global leaders as a special guest to discuss pressing international issues.

During the three-day summit, which began on June 13, Erdoğan will emphasize Türkiye's role in diplomatic and humanitarian aid efforts, focusing on the Gaza war.

On his first day, Erdoğan met with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said on Friday.

"The meeting addressed relations between Türkiye and Brazil, Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and what must be done to stop them as well as global developments," the directorate said in a statement on X.

Underlining that Tel Aviv "has become increasingly isolated lately," Erdoğan said "the pressure on Israel must be increased and sustained in order to end the oppression," the statement added.

Erdoğan is expected to urge G7 leaders to take action against Israel's military action in Gaza and reiterate his calls for a permanent ceasefire.

In addition, the president will hold several bilateral meetings with other leaders. This marks Erdoğan's return to a G7 summit after a 15-year absence.

The first day of the summit featured a 10-year security agreement between the United States and Ukraine.

The G7 leaders also agreed to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan, using interest income from frozen Russian assets as collateral. Most of these assets are held in European banks.

The summit, the first major international event hosted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni since she took office in October 2022, aims to tackle various global issues. These include the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, financial security, international cooperation on artificial intelligence and migration.

World leaders in attendance include U.S. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Other attendees are EU Council leader Charles Michel, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Pope Francis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders from South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Erdoğan's participation in the G7 summit follows his visit to Spain on June 12 and 13, where he co-chaired the eighth intergovernmental summit between Türkiye and Spain.

The visit resulted in several agreements in various fields. Erdoğan met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, with discussions focusing on establishing a ceasefire in Gaza, facilitating humanitarian aid and addressing the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Both Türkiye and Spain expressed their intention to join the suit filed by South Africa at the U.N.'s top court.

Furthermore, Erdoğan's European tour is significant for Türkiye's pursuit of Eurofighter jets as an alternative to the recently approved F-16 purchases from the United States.

Germany, a key producer of the advanced jets, has yet to grant consent for the sales, an issue Erdoğan was expected to address in his bilateral meetings.

The finalized F-16 deal entails Türkiye acquiring 40 new F-16s and upgrading 79 existing ones following recent approval from the U.S. Congress.

Following his southern Europe visit, Erdoğan will attend the NATO summit in Washington from July 9 to 11, where he will meet with various heads of state and government, including Biden.