In the wake of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which was held by videoconference, and in the framework of the numerous political contacts taking place in recent days over the situation in the Middle East, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, today had a telephone conversation with Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein.
“We are extremely concerned over a possible dangerous escalation of the conflict. In close coordination with its partners, the Italian Government is currently multiplying its efforts to avoid the risk of a regional escalation. Given that Iraq has historically played a crucial role in ensuring the stability of the Middle East, we believe that it is essential to maintain a close connection with Baghdad, with which we are working to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation,” commented the Deputy Prime Minister.
At the end of the meeting, the two Ministers adopted a joint statement in which they agreed to do everything in their power to avoid a regional escalation of the conflict, urging all parties involved to resort to dialogue. They also agreed to remain in close contact, also in view of the Mediterranean Dialogues initiative to be organised by the Italian Government at the end of November.
During the telephone conversation, Tajani expressed his appreciation for the significant progress made by the Iraqi Government in the area of internal security, and confirmed Italy’s commitment to continuing its activities in support of the stabilisation of Iraq through the presence of Italian military personnel in the anti-Daesh Coalition and the NATO mission, and of Carabinieri officers engaged on a bilateral basis in training programmes for local security forces.
