Developments in the Somali crisis and the role of the European Union and Italy in stabilisation were the central focus of meetings today in Rome between Deputy Foreign Minister Lapo Pistelli and EU Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Alex Rondos.
Pistelli confirmed Italy’s commitment to the emergence of a federally unified Somalia within internationally recognized borders, and to support the government’s consolidation and that of Somali institutions, a process he said “cannot but be managed by the Somalis themselves, in a spirit of dialogue and compromise that involves all national components and rejects the option of armed conflict”.
During their meeting, in addition to agreeing on the advisability of further improving cooperation between the European Union, the African Union and the Somali authorities in reinforcing the Somali authorities’ operational capacities in security matters, Pistelli and Rondos discussed relations between the Somali central authorities and regional groups, and the role of the Inter Governmental Development Authority (IGAD) in facilitating the rebuilding of federal institutions.