Erdoğan attends G7 summit to highlight Gaza crisis

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has arrived at the G7 summit held in Italy's Puglia region, joining global leaders as a special guest to discuss pressing international issues.

During the three-day summit, which began on June 13, Erdoğan will emphasize Türkiye's role in diplomatic and humanitarian aid efforts, focusing on the Gaza war.

Erdoğan is expected to urge G7 leaders to take action against Israel's military action in Gaza and reiterate his calls for a permanent ceasefire.

In addition, the president will hold several bilateral meetings with other leaders. This marks Erdoğan's return to a G7 summit after a 15-year absence.

The first day of the summit featured a 10-year security agreement between the United States and Ukraine.

The G7 leaders also agreed to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan, using interest income from frozen Russian assets as collateral. Most of these assets are held in European banks.

The summit, the first major international event hosted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni since she took office in October 2022, aims to tackle various global issues. These include the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, financial security, international cooperation on artificial intelligence and migration.

World leaders in attendance include U.S. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Other attendees are EU Council leader Charles Michel, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Pope Francis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders from South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Erdoğan's...