The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano, met with the United States Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, today in Bonn on the fringes of the G20 Ministerial meeting. This first meeting between the two foreign ministers since Tillerson took office offered the opportunity to reaffirm “the great friendship between Italy and the United States”, as Minister Alfano affirmed.
He added: “Thanks to our very sound partnership, we will work side by side to provide common responses to the most urgent global challenges, especially in the Mediterranean.”
Turning his attention to the Libyan crisis, Minister Alfano said: “The numerous successes of these past few months would not have been possible without the resolute joint action of Italy and the United States. It is essential to continue along this path because we cannot afford for Libya to slip back into chaos. The reopening of our Embassy in Tripoli is a tangible sign of our Country’s great attention for Libya and a message of support to all the Libyan people. We hope that also other Countries will decide to re-establish their diplomatic presence in Libya.”
The Italian Foreign Minister went on to illustrate to his American counterpart the priorities of the Italian Presidency of the G7: “The excellent cooperation between our two Countries within the G7 is of particular importance. We consider the support of the United States to be key to the success of the Italian Presidency’s agenda.”
Lastly, the talks offered the opportunity to make an overview of the principal issues of international relevance, starting with the fight against Daesh – in relation to which Mr Alfano confirmed Italy’s full support to the Global Coalition – the Syrian crisis, the Russia-Ukraine dossier, the relations with NATO, and international trade regulations.
