Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Emanuela Del Re, took part in the video conference of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council in its ‘development’ format. During the meeting there was a discussion on debt relief and investments to achieve the SDGs. The Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, as well as the Presidents of the EIB and EBRD, were also attending as external guests.
“Italy fully supports strengthening cooperation between the European Union, its Member States and the IMF on the issue of debt relief and concurs with the recent actions taken by the Union in this regard. – the Vice Minister said – “We remain committed to the multilateral exercise for the prevention and resolution of debt crises, which is a particularly important issue for our country and will be at the centre of the agenda of our G20 Presidency in 2021”.
“Tying debt relief to investments for achieving sustainable development goals is a complex response to the difficult times we are living in and constitutes an opportunity” – she stressed.
The Vice Minister also drew the Council’s attention to the humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa, as a consequence of the conflict in the Tigray Region. “There is urgent need for concrete action, in particular to alleviate the suffering of the civilians involved and to mitigate the impact of the influx of refugees into neighbouring countries, especially Sudan. Italy has immediately set up humanitarian operations to assist refugees from Tigray in Sudan. However, we must continue to keep attention focused in a concerted way and continue to provide assistance to the most vulnerable groups to avert a humanitarian crisis”.
