Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani will be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this afternoon to attend a series of meetings and briefings on the war in Gaza and the broader Middle East crisis. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also be in Riyadh and will then make another trip to the region to avert the possibility of a new military escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Tajani will share with Arab and European ministers the results of the G7 meeting in Capri, and will have several discussions with European colleagues, including with ministers from Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

Minister Tajani will also present in Riyadh the latest assessments of the coordination table held in Rome on "Food for Gaza", the initiative launched by the Italian government together with the FAO, the World Food Programme and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. According to Tajani, "the aim is to push for an immediate ceasefire, for the release of all the Israeli hostages, and for bringing in aid for the civilian population of Gaza on a massive scale as soon as possible. The emergency is unsustainable, it must be addressed immediately". The various meetings to be held in Riyadh will also be decisive in relaunching the political process needed to advance a diplomatic solution under the banner of the "two peoples, two states" solution.