“I’ve advised all Italian tourists to be careful. Anyone going to the Red Sea, for example, should avoid day-trips. They should be careful, but there’s no need to panic”. The point was reiterated by Foreign Minister Emma Bonino, speaking on the Unomattina programme on the situation and the possible risks faced by Italians holidaying abroad.
“The information we’re sending out varies from one capital to another”, added the Minister. “The entire southern coast of the Mediterranean is living through an era-defining period, with regional clashes involving several countries. A call for prudence is the very least that’s required”. Minister Bonino once again invited Italian tourists to register with “’Dove siamo nel mondo”, the Farnesina’s website for Italians travelling abroad. “By doing so, you’ll be helping us to help you: we certainly don’t want to monitor anybody’s life”.
Russia and Italy share strong interests: our aim is 1.5 million tourist visits
Shortly before the opening of the Italian-Russian Foreign Affairs and Defence Summit today, 6 August 2013, at the Farnesina, Minister Bonino told Unomattina that “We have many, very strong, points of economic interdependence with Russia, and not just in the energy sphere”. In the tourism sector alone, “we are expecting an increase of 1.5 million Russian visitors”.
Syria: Dall’Oglio possibly kidnapped by Al Qaeda group
Father Paolo Dall’Oglio “seems to have been kidnapped by an Islamic group, a local version of Al Qaeda […] You will surely understand all the difficulties. We have by no means given up. I’m confident”, commented Minister Bonino.
Turning to the press correspondent, Domenico Quirico, who has phoned his family just once since his disappearance in April, “I am hopeful”, said Bonino, “even though the situation’s very difficult, because the groups in conflict are very different. […] My confidence isn’t just a result of the phone call but also of other contacts, through various channels, which have been broken off and then resumed. I want to say to Quirico and his wife that we haven’t given up”, concluded the foreign minister.
Marines: The Government’s aim is to bring them home
On the case of the marines held in India, Minister Bonino underscored that “The goal of the government, and indeed my own goal and that of Minister Mauro, is to bring them home. With radical stubbornness and healthy realism, we can do it”.