The Ankara Summit, which had been so feared for the strength of relations between the United States and European countries, has instead \u201cconsolidated the Western alliance, strengthening the bond between the United States and NATO\u201d, as stated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. He believes that \u201cgreat strides have been made\u201d and that Italy is playing a central role in the crises shaking the international balance of power. He added: \u201cOn Tuesday, talks will be held between Lebanese, Israeli and American mediators right here in Rome, which is becoming the capital of peace with regard to the Middle East. This is a front to which we are paying the greatest attention, as it is the closest to us: we have led the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon and, together with France, we are ready to continue maintaining a presence in the region; we will see whether under a UN or EU mandate\u201d. Regarding the Iranian threats against Prime Minister Meloni – depicted by an Iranian newspaper in an orange jumpsuit and considered one of the main culprits behind Khamenei\u2019s assassination – he said: \u201cOur full solidarity goes to Giorgia Meloni, who certainly will not be intimidated.\u201d Minister Tajani also announced: \u201cTomorrow in Paris, I will take part in a Summit of European countries that will mark the launch of an Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition, aimed at establishing industrial cooperation and technology capabilities capable of ensuring protection to the whole of Europe, drawing on the Ukrainian experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
How worrying are the tensions between the United States and Iran, which remain extremely high? Khamenei\u2019s son is effectively threatening the whole of the West with retaliation for the attacks; even the Prime Minister is considered \u201cone of those responsible\u201d for his father\u2019s death.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThey are worrying, of course, because if you fan the flames too much, you risk getting burnt\u2026 Moreover, a power struggle is underway in Iran, which is making everything more difficult and causing tensions to escalate. In the ongoing negotiations, the sticking point remains the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump finds it unacceptable – and so do we – that a toll should be paid to pass through it. We are in favour of free trade everywhere; moreover, man-made straits, such as the Suez and Panama Canals, are one thing, whilst natural straits are quite another: if we were to impose tariffs everywhere, it would spell the end of world trade.\u201d<\/p>\n What role can Italy play in these international crises? Could it be, for a start, to contribute more funds to NATO? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe will honour the commitments we have made, starting with the pledge to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence and security by 2035. But we will do so on our own terms, without being subject to any diktat<\/em> regarding the purchase of US military equipment or systems. We will invest primarily in Italian companies such as Leonardo, Finmeccanica, Fincantieri, and other smaller but important firms. It will also be a way to develop our specialised technology. We will also be at the forefront of the situation in Lebanon. As early as next Tuesday, talks at ambassadorial and mediator level will take place in Rome. There is also is another European and Italian interest we will defend by every means.\u201d<\/p>\n Which one? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAs decided at the Summit of the Friends of the Balkans, which we are chairing, we are urging all European institutions to facilitate and speed up the accession to the EU of the countries of the Southern Balkans: Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo. We are also working to make Hungary come closer to our positions. We cannot afford to leave out countries such as Serbia, with whom we are friends, because of the inflexibility of certain EU bureaucrats, as the risk for us all is that they will fall under Russian or Chinese influence.\u201d<\/p>\n The opposition accuses you of being too worried about the arms race, which, according to the leader of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, is completely pointless because Russia poses no \u201cthreat to us.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cLet me be very clear: we do not underestimate the fact that several fronts are still open and many battles still need to be fought – as far as we are concerned, through diplomacy, agreements and peace talks, without ever getting tired. But I have a question for the left-wing parties.\u201d<\/p>\n What is it? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI would like to ask the so called \u201cCampo Stretto<\/em>\u201d \u2013 given that I did not see the \u201cCampo Largo\u201d emerge on the stage in Naples \u2013 is there only one left-wing side? Which side are they on? On the side of democracy, standing with invaded Ukraine, or on the side of Russia and China, authoritarian regimes? It is crucial they speak with one voice if they wish to be an alliance. Italy cannot have a pro-Russian government. Our international credibility is at stake. An ambiguous response would alarm our allies, isolate us, and cause very severe damage to our country\u2019s system.\u201d<\/p>\n Are you asking this to the leader of the Democratic Party, iElly Schlein? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen where Giuseppe Conte stands: the Silk Road agreement with China, and now even Russia, which \u201cis not a threat\u201d – whilst we are frequently the victims of cyber-attacks against which we defend ourselves, not least thanks to the reform of the Foreign Ministry that enables us to monitor them in real time – and Russian spies we have just expelled. As for the threats to the Baltic States – which we will all tackle together starting tomorrow at the Summit to strengthen air defences against drones and air strikes – which side are they on?\u201d<\/p>\n But in Europe, the Democratic Party voted alongside you on the resolution for Ukraine\u2019s earliest possible accession to the EU\u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSo why do they not distance themselves from Giuseppe Conte? And what about AVS and the Greens? There is a dangerous ambiguity; the foreign policy we face in the world ahead is decisive. Their long-standing timidity towards Russia is a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Even on the right-wing side, however, there is Vannacci, who is openly pro-Russian. <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is not our problem. He has placed himself outside the centre-right; it is none of our business.\u201d<\/p>\n You have not endless time; there will be an election in a year\u2019s time. In the meantime, which electoral law will apply? You are divided on the issue of preferential voting. <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe electoral law is necessary because it ensures governability and stability. Preferential voting is just one aspect of something much more important. Parliament will decide, not the government; I am sure a solution will be found. Stability is needed for consistent programmes, especially on the economic front: we are in favour of lowering taxes, simplifying administrative procedures throughout Italy, hiring young people with reduced social security contributions, and the possibility of deducting healthcare expenses from tax returns in the year in which they are borne, rather than the following year. What about them? They are talking about a wealth tax and inheritance tax. The electoral debate will focus on these programmes, and we are asking them for clarity on these points too.\u201d<\/p>\n There will also be local elections: do you still think Milan and Rome need an independent candidate?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00ab Yes, absolutely, because the centre-right, which is challenging those already in power, needs to broaden its horizons. We do not need a candidate who merely boosts the vote for his\/her own list, but someone who can also secure winning alliances with other parties.\u201d<\/p>\n Is Cottarelli in Milan a good option – to make his case – perhaps with Calenda\u2019s backing? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYes, he would be an excellent candidate. If, on the other hand, we decided for a politician, we would have candidates of our own to put forward.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Ankara Summit, which had been so feared for the strength of relations between the United States and European countries, has instead \u201cconsolidated the Western alliance, strengthening the bond between the United States and NATO\u201d, as stated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. He believes that \u201cgreat strides have been made\u201d and that Italy is playing […]","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":198372,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[397,9,28,39],"class_list":["post-198429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviste","tag-america-settentrionale","tag-europa","tag-ministro","tag-nato"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198429"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198430,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198429\/revisions\/198430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}