Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio met his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, at the Farnesina today, 12 April 2022. The French Minister for Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, and the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, were also present. The discussion focused on the coordination of the actions being taken forward in the European Union and G7 to counter the impact of the war in Ukraine on food security.
“The underlying spirit of the Quirinale Treaty inspires enhanced cooperation between France and Italy on major issues, including global food security. Together, we must work to provide an urgent response to the food crisis that has been clearly outlined by the Food and Agricultural Organisation”, underscored Minister Di Maio while expressing his appreciation of the operational discussions currently taking place in the EU, the United Nations and the G7 to support the countries most badly affected. Minister Di Maio also presented an Italian initiative to open a structured dialogue on food security with the countries of the Mediterranean at Foreign Minister and Agriculture Minister level. This would take place within the mechanism currently under discussion in the G7 and with the support of the Rome-based United Nations agencies. Ministers Di Maio and Le Drian also addressed the most recent developments in the conflict in Ukraine, and in particular their common efforts in support of that country.
