Apulia: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while welcoming that the pressing issue of migration is being addressed by the Group of Seven (G7), stressed the need for partnership and urged fellow leaders to tackle the root causes of migration and combat human trafficking and establish legal routes for migrants.

“Welcome to the G7 discussing the most important topic of migration. We must work together as partners to tackle the root causes, fight smugglers/traffickers and work on legal pathways. The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum is a major step forward, complemented by strong partnerships with third countries,” said Von der Leyen in a post on X.

During the second day of the three-day G7 summit in the southern Italian region of Puglia, the G7’s leading industrialized countries held discussions on migration, followed by the Indo-Pacific and economic security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold an outreach session on artificial intelligence, energy, Africa and the Mediterranean.

“We will discuss the importance of our increased focus on the Indo-Pacific,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.

“Another important issue that the Italian presidency has prioritized is also related to Africa, and not only to Africa, and that is the issue of migration and the increasingly worrying role of human trafficking organizations that exploit desperate people,” she said.

Migration is one of the challenging topics on the G7 agenda, which has contributed to the resurgence of populism and far-right movements in Europe and the United States. (ANI)

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