The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Emanuela Del Re, opened the “Beyond the Mediterranean – a strategic perspective for cooperation between Italy and Africa” Webinar, organised by the Think Tank Agenda and the Treccani Italian Encyclopaedia Institute.
The Vice Minister began by highlighting the contents of the “Partnership with Africa”, the public Policy document presented by the Foreign Affairs Ministry last December.
“There is only one corridor that links the European and African Continents, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Scandinavian Peninsula”, said the Vice Minister, “and this document takes it into account. Over the last 2-3 years Italy has formalised a new way of dealing with the African continent, that has deep roots in the historical partnership our Country has with Africa. Never before have visits by our government representatives to Africa been as frequent as they are now, and our presence on the Continent has increased, in the awareness that this is an absolute priority when it comes to our foreign policy. And never before has there been so much talk in the European Union about Africa”.
“In 2021 Africa will be at the centre of the international agenda even more, as part of Italy’s G20 Presidency and Co-Presidency of the COP26”, pointed out the Vice Minister. “Our partnership is based on the principle of ‘ownership’, with Africa fully taking on the responses to the Continent’s challenges and opportunities. Italy backs this process, by means of cooperation in development as well, in the awareness that there is an indissoluble link between security, peace, and development”.
The Vice Minister ended by underlining the need to change the narrative about the Continent, so that it reflects the great upheavals running through Africa, at an economic and cultural level
