Today and tomorrow, 31 May and 1 June 2023, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani will be in Oslo to attend the informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers.
The meeting – which is being held in preparation for the Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled to take place in Vilnius on 11-12 July – will focus on four topics: supporting Ukraine and its aspirations to join NATO; adjusting the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture; reviewing spending commitments; and strengthening NATO’s relations with its four Indo-Pacific Partners (Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand). In the course of the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tajani will brief the ministers on his talks with Serbian President Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Kurti regarding the latest developments in northern Kosovo and in particular the clashes that have involved the KFOR NATO mission, stressing the fundamental role played by the international peacekeeping force led by NATO in ensuring security and stability.
In the afternoon of 31 May, in the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting, the Foreign Ministers are scheduled to pay homage to the Memorial for the victims of the terrorist attacks of 22 July 2011 on the island of Utoya, in which 77 people died at the hands of the Norwegian citizen Anders Breivik.
“Italy supports the ongoing adjustment of the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture, as demonstrated by its contributions across the eastern flank and in the Mediterranean”, Deputy Prime Minister Tajani commented, adding that “We believe that this process should be gradual, flexible, sustainable, with a comprehensive approach to Euro-Atlantic security, looking carefully also at the southern flank”. With regard to Ukraine, Minister Tajani concluded by stating that “the political and military support provided by NATO allies over the past 15 months is extraordinary and unprecedented. This cohesion is the most effective security guarantee for Kyiv”.
