April 15, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she is travelling to Italy and the Holy See and will be in Rome on April 16 and in Capri from April 17 to 19.

While in Rome, Minister Joly will meet with her Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, to exchange views on ongoing global challenges, including in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as to explore opportunities for coordinated efforts to advance mutual priorities. They will also discuss opportunities to strengthen the two countries’ bilateral relationship through the Canada-Italy Roadmap for Enhanced Cooperation, announced in March by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

She will also meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, Holy See, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, Holy See, to engage on a number of shared priorities, including support for Ukraine and Haiti.

In Capri, Minister Joly will attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, hosted by Minister Tajani. Minister Joly and her G7 counterparts will participate in sessions focused on key foreign policy challenges, including Middle East security, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the situation in the Red Sea, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific region, and global economic development and democratic resilience.

Throughout her G7 meetings, Minister Joly will aim to advance Canada’s foreign policy interests and discuss the way forward on shared priorities with her counterparts. She will also reiterate that Canada strongly condemns Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel and will call on all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid further escalatory actions.