Telephone conversations of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, with the British Secretary of State for[...]

In the framework of the new contacts established for the start of Italy's G7 Presidency, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, today held telephone conversations with the British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Cameron, and with the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna.

The first topic discussed - within the framework of G7 coordination - was the situation of crisis in the Middle East. Minister Tajani proposed to his colleagues to define common forms of pressure - at G7 level - on the parties involved to achieve some goals.

An absolute necessity is to curb the number of Palestinian civilian casualties immediately. A second objective is to put pressure on the Israeli government to end military operations, in view of strengthening the "difficult but inescapable" prospect of the "two States for two Peoples" solution.

Minister Tajani believes that "the G7 countries are working with the Israeli government to find a quick way out of the military phase and return to diplomacy and politics. The survival and security of the State of Israel must be ensured, but we must quickly exit this phase and focus on the support of the Arab countries in the region".

The Deputy Prime Minister outlined the Italian G7 Presidency's priorities to his French and British colleagues. He said: "The Italian government aims to strengthen the role of the G7 as the main forum for consultation between liberal democracies and the most advanced economies, so that it can act as a factor for stability at the international level, by providing concrete responses to the current crises."

Minister Tajani confirmed to his colleagues that Italy intends "to reaffirm the G7 strong and compact support for Ukraine, so that it can continue to rely on us and on our commitment to a just and lasting peace, also in view of reconstruction".

During the two telephone conversations, the situation in the Red Sea was also addressed very concretely. Minister Tajani reaffirmed the Italian government's commitment to the security of maritime lines of communication, confirming the need to protect the trade routes connecting the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific.