G7: Italy, Canada hold bilateral talks on M-346 jet trainer deal
Evian, June 16
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday held a bialteral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Evian, with both leaders agreeing to strengthen cooperation in critical minerals, energy, defence and secure supply chains, while launching negotiations for Canada's purchase of Italian-made M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft.
In a post on X, Meloni said, "On the margins of the G7 works in Evian, I had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Canada, @MarkJCarney.The meeting made it possible to review the state of implementation of the action plan for strengthened Italy-Canada cooperation, agreeing on the opportunity to further consolidate it.
According to an official readout from the Canadian Prime Minister's Office, "The leaders noted ongoing efforts to deepen cooperation across a range of priorities, including critical minerals, energy, defence, and secure supply chains."
Highlighting growing collaboration in the critical minerals sector, the readout noted a recent investment of almost USD 100 million by an Italian energy company, "Eni", to procure Canadian graphite from "Nouveau Monde Graphite's Matawinie Mine in Quebec". It also pointed to Italy becoming a member of the Critical Minerals Production Alliance, launched at the 2025 G7 Summit in Kananaskis.
The statement further said, "Building on this progress, Prime Minister Carney welcomed Italy's intention to collaborate with Canada to stockpile critical minerals. These efforts will catalyse further partnerships between the two countries in energy and industry."
Defence cooperation emerged as a major outcome of the meeting, with the leaders announcing the launch of negotiations for Canada's acquisition of the M-346 Master advanced jet trainer aircraft produced by "Leonardo".
The readout stated, " To that end, the leaders were pleased to launch negotiations for Canada's purchase of M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft designed and produced by Leonardo, one of Italy's largest aerospace companies."
It added, " Leveraging Italian expertise in aerospace and defence, this agreement will enable the Royal Canadian Air Force to train in state-of-the-art equipment and build sovereign training capability."
Underscoring Ottawa's defence-industrial strategy, the Canadian statement said, "This is Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy in action, with the Build-Partner-Buy approach building at home and partnering with reliable allies."
Carney also highlighted Canada's efforts to establish a "Defence, Security and Resilience Bank" that would provide "multi-year, low-cost financing for defence, security, and resilience initiatives."
On international issues, the two leaders "reaffirmed their enduring support for Ukraine and agreed on the imperative of keeping up pressure on Russia to achieve a just and lasting peace." They also discussed developments in West Asia.
The readout added that "Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Meloni agreed to remain in close contact."
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting how critical minerals keep coming up in these meetings. India must be watching this closely, especially with our own strategic mineral needs. The graphite deal looks promising for Quebec, but I hope such collaborations don't lead to further supply chain dependencies. 🤔
The defence-industrial strategy 'Build-Partner-Buy' sounds like something India should adopt more aggressively. We already have Make in India, but partnering with reliable allies on advanced training aircraft could accelerate our own programs like the HTT-40 and LCA. Just my two paise! 😊
I appreciate the focus on Ukraine and West Asia, but sometimes these summits feel like they're just photo ops. The M-346 deal is significant for Canada though - it's a great aircraft. India should consider partnering with Leonardo for similar training needs.
As an Indian, I'm watching this with interest because our own defence partnerships need scaling up. The way Italy and Canada are combining critical minerals, energy, and defence into one agreement shows how modern geopolitics works. India should create similar integrated frameworks.
The Canada Defence, Security and Resilience Bank concept is interesting - multi-year low-cost financing for defence initiatives. India could explore something similar through our own financial institutions. But I also feel these G7 deals sometimes sideline emerging powers like India. Need to ensure our voices are heard.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.