Today the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, has participated by videoconference in the informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union.
The Ministers have discussed the situation in Ukraine and the European concerns over the health conditions of Alexei Navalny and exchanged views with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba.
Minister Di Maio has reaffirmed Italy’s full support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, expressing strong concern over the ceasefire violations and full support to all efforts towards rapid de-escalation and ensuring compliance with the Minsk agreements. On Navalny’s case, the Foreign Minister has reiterated calls for granting immediate access to the necessary medical care.
Minister Di Maio has also informed his European counterparts of the results of the institutional visits recently carried out in Libya, highlighting the important opportunities that the establishment of the Government of National Unity may open up for both the success of the stabilisation process in Libya and the perspective of a high-profile role of the EU in the country.
The situation in Ethiopia has also been discussed, an issue on which Minister Di Maio has reiterated Italy’s concern about the situation in the Tigray region, emphasising the need to ensure full access to humanitarian aid and stressing the importance of the regional dimension.
Finally, the meeting has enabled Ministers to review recent developments on the following dossiers: Iran/JCPoA, on the basis of the recent discussions in Vienna; Georgia, where European mediation efforts to resolve the internal political crisis continue; Myanmar, on which Minister Di Maio has expressed concern about the progressive deterioration of the situation on the ground; Mozambique, where the recent attacks in Cabo Delgado province require an integrated approach focused on stabilisation, humanitarian assistance and socio-economic development.
