World leaders gather to talk about the situation in Afghanistan. Tomorrow, August 24, is scheduled the British-led G7. During the summit, the leaders of Italy, the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Japan will discuss three fundamental issues: the need to rescue as soon as possible all those who have collaborated with Western states; the need to find a balance that guaranteesto the rights of Afghan citizens under Taliban rule; the possibility of postponing the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan beyond the deadline already set for August 31st.
On the Italian front, however, we are already thinking about the future. The line seems to be drawn already: the G7 alone is not enough. To try to resolve the crisis in Afghanistan, much wider coordination is needed, which also includes countries such as China, India and Russia. For this reason, the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, will try to put pressure on us to arrive as soon as possible meet in a larger venue: that of the G20 (currently under the Italian presidency) which could be called for mid-September. An approach also confirmed by the Foreign Minister, Luigi di Maio. “The initiative in which we are engaged with President Draghi in the front row is to convene an extraordinary G20 in the coming weeks” – explained Di Maio. “The convening of the extraordinary G7, announced by the United Kingdom in these hours, is welcome, but the G20 has players like Russia and China at the table, countries like India which at the moment represent a crucial point in the overall strategy of the international community with respect to Afghanistan”, he added.
Draghi, on 21 August, had a telephone conversation with the US president, Joe Biden The two leaders stressed the importance of continuing with "close coordination" between American and Italian military and civilian personnel in Kabul, "who are working tirelessly to evacuate its own citizens and Afghans who have courageously supported NATO”, explains a note from the White House, which also highlights “the opportunity for the G7 to plan a common approach on Afghanistan at the next virtual summit of leaders”.
During his speech on August 22, the American president also referred to the possibility of extend the deadline for withdrawing troops, currently set for August 31, so that civilian evacuations from Kabul airport can continue. According to the British media, it will be above all the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who will put pressure in this direction. “Let's hope we don't have to extend the August 31 deadline for the complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, but we're talking about it,” Biden said, explaining again that “we work closely with the G7. "There is still a lot to do."
