Turkish twist at the G7 summit: Erdogan's participation and its global implications

The author is an Italian academic in political science and international relations. She is scientific director of the Türkiye Observatory of the Rome-based think tank CeSPI.

ISTANBUL

Italy's G7 heads of state summit kicked off on Thursday at the luxury resort Borgo Egnazia in the southern region of Puglia, with attendance expanded to include the leaders of other key countries, including Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was extraordinarily invited to the plenary and bilateral sessions on the second day of the summit, demonstrating Ankara's growing role as a crucial partner in tackling complex global issues.

G7 and Italian presidency

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opened the summit with great pride, highlighting Italy's central position in responding to current international challenges, with the aim of promoting dialogue and inclusion. The choice to host the summit in the Puglia region was not by chance, because the message to be conveyed was to strengthen dialogue with the Global South. “This land is historically a bridge between the West and the East; it is a land of dialogue in the center of the Mediterranean, of this median sea which connects the two great maritime spaces of the globe, the Atlantic and the Indo “Pacific,” Meloni said. .

In this regard, interaction with all stakeholders is of crucial importance. The spirit of cooperation aimed at finding lasting solutions to current crises is also reflected in the Italian G7 logo, which depicts a century-old olive tree. In addition to being one of the most widespread and distinctive trees in Italian and Mediterranean landscapes, it symbolizes peace. Therefore, dialogue with a plurality of leaders in the context of the Mediterranean basin, in its broader understanding, is essential in order to build effective strategies and platforms for mediation, dispute resolution and responses to growing global problems.

Strong bilateral relations at the invitation of the G7

Indeed, during his mandate, Meloni demonstrated great international zeal to restore Italy's centrality, establishing constructive relationships with global actors. Rome is pragmatically focusing on the “South” by promoting the Africa Plan, also called the Mattei Plan, which is to be designed as complementary to the European portal to the world. This renewed approach is also based on the closest relations with other key players, such as Turkey. As is known, Ankara and Rome are linked by a strong relationship: as Mediterranean countries, they are both members of the same international institutions and share the same opportunities and challenges. Their always cordial bond was further strengthened thanks to the mutual sympathy between the two leaders, as manifested during Meloni's visit to Istanbul in January, sealing important cooperation, notably in matters of migration, a particularly dear to Italy. In this spirit of friendship, esteem and mutual respect, Meloni personally summoned President Erdogan to the G7, marking a historic first for Turkey.

Several files and the crucial role of Turkey

The G7 opened with two sessions devoted to Ukraine and with the participation of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Although an agreement was reached to send Ukraine $50 billion by the end of 2024, the solution to the conflict still remains up in the air. Among G7 members, there is a firm consensus in favor of bypassing diplomatic mediation, which marks a subtle difference with Turkey, which has instead invested heavily in it; an effort recognized by the warring parties and certainly appreciated by the Western bloc.

Besides Ukraine, the G7 discussed the challenges of the current and rapidly evolving international system. These include migration, partnership with Africa, war in the Middle East, environment, energy and artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, all issues are priorities in Turkey's foreign policy agenda, because in multilateral and cooperative approaches, Ankara stands out as a regional balancing player.

In addition to its crucial role in the war in Ukraine, Turkey is working to secure a ceasefire and a lasting solution to Israel's war on Gaza, offering itself as a guarantor state. In his continued denunciation of war crimes and genocide perpetrated in Palestine, President Erdogan has been vocal in addressing and raising awareness of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the enclave. Thus, the G7 summit was a new opportunity to further highlight the Gaza crisis. In war zones, Ankara has already brokered truces through multilateral mechanisms and compartmentalized alliances such as Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, and presents itself as the main donor and actor in international humanitarian aid. In this regard, Turkey's role in welcoming around 4 million Syrians is remarkable.

When it comes to migration, Turkey has proven to be a reliable partner for the EU and the entire international community. And thanks to its regional policies, important agreements have been signed on border security and the control of migratory flows. Migration is in fact a priority issue on the agenda of the Italian G7. Thus, the renewed interest in Africa is also based on cooperative approaches with Turkey, which claims a historic and legitimized stake by acting as a provider of security and stability.

Therefore, on crucial topics such as migration, security and energy, there are constructive exchanges with the Global South. The G7's focus on logistics and the environment is reminiscent of Turkey's contribution during the COVID-19 crisis in terms of supply and reshaping the global value chain. Meanwhile, dedication to the environment; the desire to respond to natural disasters; Energy differentiation policies and digital and technological innovation also make Ankara a key interlocutor within the G7.

On all these issues and priority areas, it becomes imperative to strengthen diplomatic relations and build a solid partnership. Inevitably, this involves awareness-raising, dialogue, mediation, confidence-building, de-escalation and win-win approaches, as Turkey has already experienced. However, from the synthesis of strategic priorities aimed at guaranteeing stability and prosperity comes the reaffirmation of the urgent need to put an end to Israel and its massacres in Gaza and the alarm signal in favor of a new international architecture under the motto “the world is bigger than five”, which Erdogan continues to promote diplomatically at all tables, including within the Group of Seven.

*The opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies of Anadolu.

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