Italy will unveil Sicily bridge project to G7 trade ministers

 The government will on Tuesday present to G7 trade ministers its controversial plan for the world's longest suspensions bridge linking the southern island region of Sicily to the mainland via the Strait of Messina, foreign minister Antonio Tajani announced on Tuesday.

"At the G7 trade ministers' meeting in Villa San Giovanni, Calabria, we will unveil the (3-kilometre-long) bridge project," Tajani said.

"It is in our interest to boost trade, which can become a tool for global dialogue," he said.

Tajani is chairing the G7 trade ministers meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday which centres on four key topics: strengthening the multilateral trading system through the reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO); ensuring a level playing field in global markets; encouraging environmental sustainability in trade; and improving resilience and economic security.

G7 ministers and guest countries including Brazil, South Korea, India, New Zealand, Turkey and Vietnam account for 54% of world GDP, according to a foreign ministry statement.

The two-day meeting in Villa San Giovanni will also focus on the Middle East and the Red Sea - a strategic trade route for Italy in particular - as well as on the Indo-Pacific - a key region for global trade and supply chains.

During the meetings, delegates will visit Itay's leading cargo port, Gioia Tauro, where the government's 'Food For Gaza' humanitarian scheme will be presented, including a state-of-the-art scanner to speed up security checks on containers, said the statement.