The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Paolo Gentiloni, received the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, at the Farnesina today, 26 May 2015.
The meeting was an opportunity to reiterate Italy’s full support for the Minsk Agreements. “We are convinced that the military option is not practicable and that there are no alternatives to a political solution to the crisis”, commented Minister Gentiloni. He underscored that “it is impossible to build peace and sustainable development for Ukraine without involving Russia, with which a critical dialogue must therefore be established”.
Klimkin updated Gentiloni on the outcome of the recent meetings of the OSCE-coordinated thematic working group dedicated to economic, humanitarian and political questions concerning the future of eastern Ukraine.
Minister Gentiloni also underscored the need for Kiev to speed up the implementation of the structural reforms. He noted that “the reforms are not only the keystone that will enable the Ukrainian economy to emerge from the crisis. They also represent the best remedy to foster the country’s closer integration with Europe and enable it to enjoy all the potential benefits of the Association Agreement”.
Klimkin and Gentiloni also noted the positive state of bilateral relations in every field and reiterated the goal of further strengthening the relationship, especially in the economic field. Lastly, Minister Gentiloni confirmed his commitment to convene a meeting of the Mixed Economic Commission, co-chaired by the two ministers, in autumn 2015.
