A two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries opened in Italy's Fiuggi on Monday, with talks expected to focus on the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The ministerial meeting is held in Fiuggi and Anagni from Monday to Tuesday and is the second hosted in Italy in 2024, after the one held in Capri in mid-April. It is also the last ministerial meeting of G7 countries this year.
Monday's meeting was hosted by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani under the country's presidency and focused on the situations in the Middle East, including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the situations in Lebanon, and the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Also invited to the meeting were Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and representatives from Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The ministers will meet again on Tuesday to discuss issues like the Ukraine crisis and are expected to release a communique.
G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting opens in Italy
G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting opens in Italy
G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting opens in Italy
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.
In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.
"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.
Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.
Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.
"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.
Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.
Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.
"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.
Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela
