Two initiatives relating to Italy’s relations with Somalia and Ukraine were announced by Minister Mogherini during her briefing to the Chamber and Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees.
The first initiative concerns the re-opening of the Italian Embassy in Mogadishu, which was closed in 1991. The new Ambassador will be Fabrizio Marcelli. “At the moment, vital security checks are being carried out”, Minister Mogherini told the parliamentarians.
The second concerns the participation of 8 Italian observers in the OSCE mission for the elections in Ukraine on 25 May. The Minister announced that Tana de Zulueta, a former Member of the Italian Parliament, has been appointed to lead the next mission.
Stage 3: “we hope things don’t get that far”, says Minister
Minister Mogherini told the Committees that we are still at Stage 2 of the economic and sectorial measures to address the crisis in Ukraine. A decision might be reached on Stage 3, “but such a decision would need to be taken at the highest political levels, and we hope things don’t get that far”. The Minister underscored Russia’s failure to cooperate in reducing tensions on the ground. But, she reminded the Committees, “Moscow is still an indispensable player in reaching a lasting political solution to the Ukrainian crisis”.
Syria: transfer of chemical weapons at Gioia Tauro is imminent
“The transfer of the Syrian chemical weapons to the Danish ship is nearly complete”, said the Minister. “It’s possible that the transloading operations at Gioia Tauro will be completed in the next few weeks, and the elimination of the chemical components. I met the Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at The Hague, and we agreed on the possibility of visiting Gioia Tauro together during the transloading process, to facilitate and increase the transparency of the operations”, Minister Mogherini told the Committee members.