The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, participated today by videoconference in the extraordinary meeting of the G20 Foreign Ministers, organized by the Saudi Arabian Presidency. The meeting offered the opportunity to coordinate efforts to counter the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on border management and the repatriation of compatriots from abroad.
In his speech, Minister Di Maio stressed the crucial role of the G20 in addressing the current challenges and relaunching economic growth. During the Presidency in 2021, said the Minister, Italy would continue to promote health as a global public good and will focus its efforts on promoting an inclusive and sustainable recovery.
Minister Di Maio then recalled the efforts made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic-consular network to allow the return of more than 110 thousand compatriots from abroad in recent months. Di Maio thanked his counterparts for the cooperation of their respective countries in facilitating the repatriation operations and highlighted the opportunity to deepen international cooperation to facilitate the movement of economic operators, in support of economic recovery. Minister Di Maio also reiterated the importance of ensuring transparency, dialogue, and exchange of information for effective border management, which should be based on updated epidemiological data.
