Beginning on 5 September, Minister Giulio Terzi will be engaged on a mission to the Middle East that will take him from Israel to the Palestinian territories and on to Egypt. His goal will be to strengthen partnerships and cooperation within the framework of an economic diplomacy intended to spur Italian growth; as well as to discuss the region’s delicate balances, the stalled peace talks, the Iranian nuclear question and the Syrian crisis.
A stronger Italo-Israeli partnership
Minister Terzi will be returning to Israel – where he was posted as Ambassador from 2001 to 2003 – for the first time as foreign minister, and has meetings scheduled with President Shimon Peres, Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and his own counterpart Avigdor Lieberman. The mission’s objective is to consolidate an already solid partnership between the two countries, marked by robust and extensive economic cooperation, especially in advanced science and technology sectors in which Italy is Israel’s top European partner. Terzi visit follows upon that of Premier Mario Monti in April during which he announced the intergovernmental summit to the held on 25 October, and will aim to outline its context.
Palestinian Country Presentation
The minister’s meetings in Jerusalem will also include the most pressing international and regional issues, beginning with the Iranian nuclear programme and Israel’s consequent concerns. In Ramallah also on Thursday, Minister Terzi’s meetings with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Foreign Minister Riad Maliki will centre, in addition to encouraging the resumption of the peace talks with Israel, on cooperation in support of economic development in the Territories, ahead of a “country presentation” to the held in Rome in the autumn.
Egypt and Cyprus
The minister will go on directly afterwards to Cairo, where he already held a bilateral meeting in July with newly elected President Mohammed Morsi. This time Terzi will be accompanied by his Greek, Maltese and Cypriot colleagues on a visit devoted to the new Egypt and its Mediterranean relations. Terzi’s diplomatic week will conclude with his participation on 7 and 8 September in Cyprus, current duty President of the EU, for an informal meeting all 27 member foreign ministers.
