The Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Vincenzo Amendola, is in Sofia to attend the informal meeting of the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Gymnich). The meeting, chaired by the High Representative of the Union, Federica Mogherini, is hosted by Bulgaria as the Country holding the rotating Presidency of the European Union Council.
Syria, the Western Balkans and North Korea were the main topics of today’s debate. The debate on Syria took stock of the situation in the Country following the Sochi Congress and in view of the Brussels Conference on 24-25 April. Mr Amendola reconfirmed Italy’s concern over the growing violence in Syria and called for the need to come to a ceasefire to enable access to humanitarian aid and reiterated Italy’s full support for the path undertaken by the UN and the efforts made by Staffan de Mistura.
The debate on the Western Balkans was prevalently focused on the strategy for the enlargement process that was adopted by the European Commission last 6 February. Undersecretary Amendola expressed his appreciation for the Commission’s strategy which incorporates several proposals included by Italy in the document “Una audace strategia di allargamento della UE per i Balcani Occidentali” (“A daring EU enlargement strategy for the Western Balkans”). Mr Amendola believes that the Commission’s strategy relaunches an ambitious EU political project in the region of the Balkans and follows in the wake of Italy’s consolidated position in favour of the EU enlargement in the Western Balkan Countries.
Today’s last working session will be devoted to North Korea and to the prospects of dialogue that have opened over the last few weeks.
The meeting between the two Koreas’ high-level delegations and the re-establishment of a communication channel are positive signs that we hope might prelude to real change, remarked Undersecretary Amendola.
The informal meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs will continue tomorrow with a session dedicated to security and defence, which will be attended by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU accession countries.
