G7 invites Syria, strains trade

Reuters reported on May 21 that Syria will attend next month’s Group of Seven summit in France as an invited country, represented by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the invitation was delivered during G7 finance meetings in Paris, and the June 15-17 summit in Évian-les-Bains would mark Syria’s first participation since the forum was founded in 1975. The invitation lands as the summit agenda is being shaped by unresolved trade disputes and side diplomacy rather than a clean show of alignment among the major democracies. Canada and the United States are still at an impasse in trade negotiations ahead of the meeting, according to National Post reporting, while Indian media reports say officials in New Delhi are preparing for a likely pull-aside between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. (usnews.com) President Donald Trump. ### Why is Syria’s invitation drawing attention? Syria’s participation stands out because no Syrian leader has attended a G7 summit since the group’s creation in 1975, according to Reuters-cited reports. One source told Reuters that the invitation to Sharaa was hand-delivered to Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh during G7 financial talks in Paris earlier this week. (msn.com) Ahmed al-Sharaa’s expected appearance would place Syria at a summit otherwise dominated by the G7 members and a smaller set of invited partners. Reuters-cited reports carried by Arab News and others said Sharaa would represent Damascus as a guest leader rather than as part of the core group. ### What is happening between Ottawa and Washington before the summit? (usnews.com) Mark Carney and Donald Trump are heading toward the summit without a trade breakthrough. National Post reporting described Trump as airing a shifting list of complaints about Canada, including an advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan on tariffs and Carney’s electric-vehicle deal with China. (arabnews.com) Canada has also signaled that negotiations could take time. In April, Carney said talks with the Trump administration on renewing the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement could take longer than expected as Ottawa pushed for what it called a mutually beneficial deal. ### Why are people watching for a Modi-Trump meeting? Narendra Modi and Donald Trump are both expected at the France summit next month, prompting speculation about a bilateral meeting on the sidelines. (msn.com) Reports from Indian outlets said such a meeting would likely focus on trade frictions and the agenda for the next Quad gathering. (cbc.ca) The possible encounter would be closely watched because it would be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in many months, according to those reports. News18 said the meeting could be their first in-person talks since February 2025. ### What do we know about the summit itself? (news18.com) France is due to host the G7 summit from June 15 to June 17 in Évian-les-Bains in southeastern France, according to Reuters-cited reporting on Syria’s invitation. The meeting is expected to bring together G7 leaders, invited guests and officials already engaged in finance and trade discussions linked to the summit. (news18.com) The next concrete marker is the June 15 opening in Évian-les-Bains, where Trump, Carney, Modi and invited guest Ahmed al-Sharaa are expected to converge if current plans hold. (news18.com) (usnews.com)