Australia does not expect an invitation to Italy’s G7 meeting in June, Crikey can reveal.
Anthony Albanese was invited to last year’s G7 summit in Japan, an “important opportunity to advance Australia’s interests”, according to the prime minister.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has begun handing out invites to her selected guest nations. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Meloni for his nod on Thursday, and leaders from the North African countries of Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt have reportedly been invited too. Argentinian President Javier Milei, described in the nation’s press as an “ideological ally” of the populist Meloni, has also been invited.
Albanese’s office declined to comment on the record. It’s understood the prime minister is not expecting an invite this year.
Albanese’s May 2023 trip to the G7 meeting in Hiroshima was his 13th international trip in 12 months, leading to criticism from opponents who believed he should have been spending more time domestically.
In South Korea, where the country’s foreign ministry confirmed last weekend it had not received an invite to the Italy summit, the snub led to bad headlines for the government and criticism from opposition politicians that President Yoon Suk Yeol’s foreign policy had become “meaningless”, the Korea JoongAng Daily newspaper reported.
“It is understood that Italy, the chair country of the G7 summit this year, selected the invited countries mainly based on African and Mediterranean issues related to its own domestic immigration issues,” the statement from the Korean foreign ministry said.
An international relations expert told Crikey that a non-invite for Albanese wouldn’t necessarily signal a rift with Italy.
“I do not see this so much as signalling ill-will towards Australia, as much as it signals an intentional focus on strengthening geopolitical and economic links with countries from non-Western parts of the world,” Flinders University international relations senior lecturer Jessica Genauer said.
“It is up to the G7 host who they choose to invite. In this case, Meloni is making a statement about the geopolitical and economic focus and direction of her government, whilst still conforming with the traditional structure and format of the G7.
“I see the invites to G7 sideline meetings so far as part of Italian PM Georgia Meloni’s broader economic and geopolitical ambitions for Italy … withdrawing from economic links with China and Russia has left a need to pursue alternate economic ties, [and] Meloni is hoping to expand and deepen links for Italy with North African countries as well as with countries such as India.”
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the snub was a “missed opportunity” for Australia.
“Australia has been invited to three of the last four G7 leaders meetings,” Birmingham told Crikey.
“For Mr Albanese to not be invited to this meeting, at such a challenging time in global affairs, is a missed opportunity to ensure Australia’s perspective is heard on the issues confronting our region.”
