Minister Tajani, is the anti-Jewish massacre in Australia a warning to the world and therefore concerns us too?
“It is certainly a global challenge. Coincidentally, this massacre is occurring as we are laboriously approaching the second phase of the ceasefire in the Middle East. After all, the horror of October 7 was also committed to prevent the Abraham Accords. Now we are approaching a solution in the Middle East, and terrorists that do not want peace are acting like clockwork. They did not attack an Israeli barracks or an institutional building. They targeted civilians, tens of thousands of kilometres away from the Middle East.”
Does this mean that anti-Jewish terrorists, and terrorism in general, could also strike in Rome, which is working so hard for peace?
“Never underestimate the risk. But intelligence and law enforcement agencies are working intensely to protect the safety of the Jewish community in Rome and the rest of Italy and to defend all citizens of our country.”
Will Italy continue its role of diplomacy and détente? Will you do so even more?
“We will continue along this universally recognized path. After all, Italy’s mission is to bring people together, not to divide them, to make people interact and foster civil coexistence. Rome has traditionally been at the service of civilization and is now among the capitals most engaged in building the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. In Rome, Abu Mazen thanked Italy for all the diplomatic and humanitarian efforts we are making available to everyone. Humanitarian means political. That is, inter alia, training the new generation of Palestinian leadership. We have the university corridor to welcome Palestinian students and train them in Italy, in a context of peace and for peace.”
Could our balanced approach on the Middle East and the tradition of Italian foreign policy, which – as the old Christian Democrats’ wisdom teaches – has always played a mediating role, help us stay out of the crosshairs?
“This should be, but not alone, a protective shield. However, we must not lower our guard. At the same time, we must avoid excessive alarmism, which would be a gift to terrorists. We need clarity and determination, both to prevent attacks and to defend ourselves.”
There have been attacks in Rome in the past, such as the one at the synagogue or the one at Fiumicino.
“That is true, but now security and prevention are a core focus of our Ministry of the Interior. Security is also crucial for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which I am honoured to lead. So much so that the reform that will come into force on January 1 envisages the creation of a Directorate-General for Security at the Foreign Ministry for the first time. It will deal with this issue from a political perspective, but also with cybersecurity and artificial intelligence applied to defence systems. Our Ministry will have an operations room dedicated to the prevention and response to cyber attacks.”
Cyber diplomacy is a key theme of the meeting of all Italian ambassadors around the world that you have organized starting today in Rome. What is cyber diplomacy?
“It is a way to emphasize that the world is changing and we are subjected to tens of thousands of high-tech attacks. Our embassies must also equip themselves with new tools and skills. While waiting to train staff prepared for facing the increasingly sophisticated challenges of today’s world, we already have military officers at our Ministry who are assisting us in this effort.”
Why are you bringing all the ambassadors together in Rome at this time?
“We do so every year, at the end of the year, to prepare for the new future commitments.”
Will you take stock of Italy’s foreign policy for 2025?
“It is a stock that is there for all to see. It speaks of Italy returning to its leading role, and Rome has become more than ever a crossroads of discussion and debate, and the authoritative venue for important negotiations. Just recall the meetings between Iranians and Americans, who decided to meet right here in Rome, to give universal recognition to the courageous initiative they decided to undertake. What about the famous meeting in St. Peter’s Basilica between Trump and Zelensky? I could go on. The moral of the story is that Heads of State and Government are increasingly coming to our capital, because they find the habitat of peace here. Next year, Narendra Modi will be here. We will host the Summit of sub-Saharan African countries, and we are organizing a Summit of the Friends of the Balkans at Villa Madama.”
As Churchill said, the Balkans produce more history than they can bear. Is Rome, instead, bearing the weight of the new contemporary history and supporting every de-escalation plan?
“Rome and the country it represents have set for themselves the goal of demonstrating that conflict and terrorism must be addressed with political efforts – and with a commitment to economic and trade development, which is a factor of peace. Let me give you this example. Italy will be the terminal of the India-Middle East-Europe corridor, and the corridor will pass through Israel, the Gulf countries, and Egypt, all the way to Trieste. This will be a great opportunity for Italian trade and for the construction of infrastructure. This project has been at the centre of my discussions in India in recent days with Modi and the other leaders of this great nation. A series of actions that have improved Italy’s standing in international politics and its economic strength globally have contributed to our positive results.”
In numbers, how do you measure this growth?
“I will give you just an example, but I could give you many. Despite tariffs and wars, our foreign trade has increased by 6 percent in recent months. This means that the government’s action plan is working well.”
Don’t you think, however, that Italy’s efforts for peace in Ukraine might be less effective because the pro-Russian partisans have a certain strength here?
“On a political level, I do not see this strength. If anything, there are a few isolated commentators who hold positions along the lines you are mentioning. The Italian position is very clear and shared: we are not at war with Russia, we are simply staunchly defending Ukraine’s independence.”
Salvini, too?
“There are different nuances. But when it comes to voting on aid to Ukraine, the League has always done so.”
Will Russian assets in Europe be used to support Ukraine?
“The European Council will decide on this. We voted to freeze the assets, but we have serious legal concerns – hence that does not mean we will approve the use of those assets. If the Court of Justice were to rule against us on the use of this instrument, Europe’s image would be damaged, and that risk needs to be carefully avoided. There is also the issue of guarantees. Who will guarantee any repayment of that amount? We need to consider other ways to help Ukraine. Issuing European bonds, for example, or taking money from the EU budget. A very thorough analysis is needed.
Energy will be a much-debated topic at the Conference of all Italian ambassadors.
“Yes, because it is a priority issue, on which a huge part of our future depends. There is only a way to free ourselves from energy dependence, not just from Russia, and that is nuclear power. A choice the Italian government has already made.”
