Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi has decided to send Under-Secretary Staffan De Mistura to India in relation to the case involving the Italian ship, the Enrica Lexie.
The Under-Secretary leaves for India today. Minister Terzi has instructed him to continue, at the political level, the work already carried out by the delegation of Italian experts from the Foreign, Defence and Justice Ministries. Under-Secretary De Mistura will have contacts at the highest level with the state and federal authorities in, respectively, Kochi and in New Delhi, which Minister Terzi will be visiting in person on Tuesday 29 February.
As for the media coverage of the action taken by the local police against the crew of the Italian vessel, it can be confirmed that this action was unilateral, as already pointed out in the communiqué of 19 February 2012.
