After the meeting with Joe Biden at the White House, Giorgia Meloni flew today to Toronto for the bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Prime Minister met with him at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel to discuss the priorities of Italy's G7 presidency. Outside the building, a group of climate activists protested Trudeau and the World Economic Forum with banners and signs. Canada and Italy, Meloni and Trudeau recognize in a joint statement published on the sidelines of the meeting, “maintaining strong commercial relations” and having the firm intention “to further deepen their political, economic and strategic ties”. Italy represents Canada's second largest trading partner in the European Union, with bilateral trade reaching a record high of $15.8 billion in 2023. Additionally, 1.6 million Canadian citizens of Italian origin reside in this North American country. “The next time we meet at an international summit, I expect you to speak a little Italian, I will help you if you want,” Meloni joked with the Canadian Prime Minister.
Strengthened collaboration
During their meeting in Toronto, Meloni and Trudeau confirmed their desire to work on the road map for strengthened cooperation between Italy and Canada. A plan that covers the next 3 to 5 years and will cover “priority sectors including energy security and the transition to a sustainable energy future, climate change and biodiversity, migration, sustainable economic growth and research and innovation, as well as artificial intelligence. Beyond bilateral relations, the two leaders pledged to “work closely to address unprecedented challenges and crises,” from Russia's war against Ukraine to instability in the Middle East. “There are many results of the Japanese presidency of the G7 that I will continue with the Italian presidency: on artificial intelligence, on the Indo-Pacific, on support for Ukraine, and then there is the crisis of Middle East, which is very difficult. . We must talk a lot, we must avoid the escalation of the conflict,” commented Giorgia Meloni in the first moments of the bilateral meeting with Justin Trudeau.
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