Deputy Minister Benedetto Della Vedova participated in the online event “Myanmar. National and international actions for a new democratic and federal country”, organized by East-West European Institute, Italia-Birmania Insieme Association and Torino World Affairs Institute.
“Italy strongly supports a united front in all international fora to demand the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained, beginning with Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and the civilian leadership” – said the Deputy Minister – “Exploratory contacts had been initiated with all relevant regional partners, and we strongly support the mediation action of our ASEAN Partners”.
“Italian action in defence of human rights in the country has been particularly prominent in the United Nations, particularly in the Human Rights Council (HRC), and in the International Labor Organization, for the protection of trade union rights and freedoms”, the Deputy Minister continued. “In these contexts, through national interventions, including by Minister Di Maio in the high-level segment of the UNHRC last February, we have reiterated our strongest condemnation of the coup and strongly requested the military to respect human rights and stop the excessive use of force.”
Della Vedova also reported on outreach to Italian companies to ensure that their respective workers’ legal positions are protected, avoiding economic penalties or dismissals. MAECI (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), based on the Final Report published in 2019 by the International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar established by the UN Human Rights Council, continued the action initiated since autumn 2019 to raise awareness among our companies on the importance of avoiding business relations with the military.
“Within the EU, Italy has contributed to the adoption of the first restrictive measures against 11 individuals responsible for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar,” concluded Della Vedova. “We continue to work within the EU, for further measures that also affect the economic interests of the military, without endangering the most vulnerable segments of the population.”
