The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, will chair tomorrow, Thursday 9 January, a meeting of the Quintet’s Foreign Ministers (Italy, USA, United Kingdom, France and Germany) at Villa Madama, which will also see the participation of the High Representative for the Union for Foreign and Security Policy.
“I promoted this meeting, on the eve of my mission to Syria, to take stock of the situation in the country one month after the fall of the Assad regime,” Minister Tajani said.
At the centre of the discussion is the work of the Transitional Government and the challenges ahead of the National Dialogue Conference announced by the Syrian authorities, the drafting of a new Constitution, the integration of all the components of Syria’s society and the country’s economic recovery.
In particular, Minister Tajani will stress the importance of maintaining close coordination between the Quintet Ministers to ensure a peaceful, inclusive transition that guarantees the social, religious and political rights of all components of Syrian civil society, in line with the United Nations’ principles of mediation. The Minister will then focus on the issue of humanitarian contributions, recalling that Italy has provided for an average annual allocation of more than EUR 40 million for the Syrian population and refugees in neighbouring countries since 2019.
With the aim of preserving Syria’s territorial unity, the Quintet’s Ministers will also address the issue of socio-economic support for the country’s population and stability, including the possibility of revising existing sanctions regimes. Particular attention will therefore be paid to the question of Syrian refugees and how to ensure their safe, dignified and sustainable return to the country.
