Italy, Canada agree to deepen cooperation on defense, energy, critical minerals

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Canadian counterpart Mark Carney agreed on Tuesday to deepen cooperation in several sectors, including defense, energy, and critical minerals.

Meloni and Carney met on the sidelines of the G7 leaders' summit in Evian, France, and reviewed the implementation of the Italy-Canada action plan for enhanced cooperation, according to a statement from the Italian government.

"In this context, they agreed to continue working toward the adoption of a framework agreement between Rome and Ottawa on strategic issues such as defence, infrastructure, energy, critical minerals and space," the statement read.

It added that Meloni thanked Canada for its decision to grant Italy priority access to its stockpiles.

"During the meeting, the two leaders also had an in-depth discussion on the main issues on the international agenda, reaffirming their shared commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and common support for stability in the Middle East and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, in line with international law," the statement added.