Undersecretary of State Mantovano meets with US Secretary of State Blinken at UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs annual session

Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers Alfredo Mantovano had a pull-aside meeting with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Vienna today. Undersecretary of State Mantovano provided Secretary of State Blinken with a copy of the national plan to prevent misuse of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids recently approved and presented by the Italian Government, and also informed him of Italy's intention to include drug control issues within the framework of activities under its G7 Presidency. Secretary of State Blinken expressed his thanks for Italy's commitment to preventing the misuse of fentanyl and for its efforts so far as regards the G7.

The meeting took place during the second day of the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the policymaking body within the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
"The meeting with Secretary of State Blinken and our other meetings in Vienna are of great importance", stated Undersecretary of State Mantovano, "for drugs cannot be countered at national level only; drug trafficking has a dangerously global dimension. This problem must also be addressed with preventive action, and not just dealt with once it has already become an emergency, as has happened with fentanyl in the United States: also with regard to this approach, we have been met with agreement from all those we have spoken with".

Undersecretary of State Mantovano also met today with the Minister of the Interior of Albania, Taulant Balla, and with Barrye Price, Eric Siervo and Ronald S. Rochon from CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America), which is the largest organisation for substance abuse prevention in the United States, working with more than 30 nations around the world. Undersecretary of State Mantovano also had a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld of Ecuador, whose President, Daniel Noboa, has declared a state of "internal armed conflict" as a result of the increase in homicides and crimes being committed by drug traffickers.