Meloni Calls for Including African Union in G20

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called during the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, to include the African Union in the list of participants in the G20 group.

"Many of us supported the African Union's request to join the G20, Italy strongly supports this request, and I think it will be a good gesture to show our support during this summit as well," Meloni was quoted by askanews agency as saying.

In a related context, Meloni criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for its tough stance towards Tunisia, explaining that Tunisia is facing a very difficult situation, suffering from obvious political instability and the risk of financial default.

She added that in addition to the previous problems, the G7 have stalled negotiations between the International Monetary Fund and Tunisia, due to the IMF’s hardline position, and in such a situation, a flexible practical situation must be taken to solve the crisis, otherwise we risk exacerbating the situation.

Tunisia is the main departure point for migrants arriving in Italy across the Mediterranean, and according to the latest data issued by the Italian Ministry of the Interior, since January 1, nearly 45,000 migrants have arrived in the country by sea.