Today, the Italian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli, spoke at the “Mediterranean Security 2023” advanced training seminar, organised by Fondazione Legalità e Sviluppo and held at the Carabinieri’s “Palidoro” Mobile and Specialised Units Command in Rome.
Speaking at the close of the event after Italian Undersecretary of State to the Ministry of the Interior Wanda Ferro, Deputy Minister Cirielli dwelt on the interconnection between the prosperity and security of Italy and the Mediterranean. Commenting on the numbers of migratory flows – making reference to the 105,000 irregular arrivals in Italy in 2022 and the upward trend in 2023 – the Deputy Minister highlighted the decisive action taken by the Italian government to ensure that the European Union takes steps towards mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of migration, improving the management of flows, promoting forms of legal migration and addressing the root causes of the phenomenon.
The Deputy Minister then emphasised the link between security and development, which requires a systemic strategy that goes beyond the securitarian approach, aiming at tackling the instability factors in the region and affirming a positive agenda of sustainable development, starting from the commitment on energy and ecological transition, in which Italy can play a bridging role as an energy hub between the two shores.
At the heart of this strategy, the Deputy Minister pointed out, is the idea of the Mattei Plan, which is inspired by the vision of an all-encompassing partnership aimed at establishing mutually beneficial cooperation with the African continent on an equal footing, on the basis of sustainable growth and development for both, starting precisely from the energy sector. While recognising the importance of the conflict in Ukraine, Cirielli concluded, the Mediterranean must remain at the top of our foreign policy agenda. We have common problems, for which common solutions are needed.
