G7 leaders are expected to discuss ways to deal with terrorism during a two-day meeting -- which began on Friday -- in Italy's Taormina.
The leaders of the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as European Union representatives, traveled to Italy for a summit which European Council President Donald Tusk expects to be "challenging."
G7 leaders, President of the European Council Donald Tusk, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pose for a group photo in Taormina on the island of Sicily, Italy on May 26, 2017. /CFP Photo
"There is no doubt that this will be the most challenging G7 summit in years. There is no secret that leaders who are meeting today sometimes have very different positions on topics such as climate change and trade. But, our role as the EU, is to do everything to maintain the unity of the G7 on all fronts," said Tusk on Friday morning.
G7 leaders, President of the European Council Donald Tusk, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pose for a group photo in Taormina on the island of Sicily, Italy on May 26, 2017. /CFP Photo
The leaders are meeting amid divisions on trade and climate change, just days after 22 people were killed in a concert bomb attack in the UK's Manchester which has pushed counter-terrorism to the top of the agenda.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said the fight against terrorism was moving from the battlefield to the Internet.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences for the victims of the terror attack, and the two leaders vowed to work together on security.
Tusk said he agreed with US President Donald Trump's stance that the international community should be "tough, even brutal" on terrorism and ISIL.
Meanwhile, Trump sparked headlines by saying Germany is "bad, very bad" on trade during a meeting with EU leaders on Thursday, and vowed to stop German car exports to the United States.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L), Italy's Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, and US President Donald Trump arrive to pose for a family photo in Italy's Taormina on May 26. /CFP Photo
According to local media, Trump, attending his first-ever G7 summit, remains the unknown quantity due to his protectionist views on trade, his outspoken stance against immigration, and his avowed intention to invest in fossil fuels, thus rolling back the clock on climate change policy.
The Syrian conflict and the DPRK's nuclear threat are also hot button issues.
The 43rd annual summit of G7 will end on Saturday, with leaders expected to come up with some kind of joint statement. It remains to be seen where they will find consensus.
(Source: Agencies)
