We are also working for international volunteers. We are doing so on several fronts, “so that all our compatriots who are not resident abroad can return to Italy, wherever there is a clear will or need to do it”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. The urgent need to think about evacuation plans for the Italian volunteers in the world – after the worsening of the Coronavirus emergency – was brought to the attention of citizens (and the government) by President Focsiv (Federation of Christian Organizations and International Voluntary Service) Gianfranco Cattai, in a letter sent to Avvenire a few days ago. And now, it is the Vice-Minister in charge of International Cooperation, Emanuela Del Re, who has been at the centre of a recent meeting at the Ministry.
We are working on many fronts, assures the Vice Minister in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. How? First of all, the Vice Minster assures, “we are gathering updates on the willingness of the Italians present in that particular country to return to Italy and examining the possibility of activating a flight of Italian companies to bring compatriots back to Italy”. In general, however, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites our fellow compatriots “to return to Italy, wherever possible, considering stopovers in other Schengen countries from which they can then leave for Italy”. In addition, continues the Vice-Minister Del Re, “we are exploring the possibility of trying to transport our compatriots, as well as other European citizens, who are in countries where no flights are available, on flights organised in coordination with the European civil protection system”. Many of our compatriots, for example, have managed to return from Africa on flights by other European airlines via France.
Moreover, for the country where cooperation projects are being developed, Emanuela Del Re assures, “we are considering the possibility to activate a flight operated by Italian companies” to repatriate our compatriots. An example of this is Jordan, a country where for the moment airspace is closed, where “the request for a census of Italians has just started”. Despite a general downsizing of the cooperation activities because of Covid19, where conditions allow it, explains the Deputy Minister, the projects continue to be carried out “by adopting all the safety measures and precautions foreseen and necessary”. Those who have preferred to remain abroad, and “far from home, often in difficult contexts, at a time when the emergency is hitting our country so hard made a noble and generous choice”. Indeed, she concludes, this “terrible war against the virus must be tackled with a global approach and with the same effectiveness”. Therefore we are all working “in coordination and constant contact with our partner countries in Europe and the rest of the world”.
