Farnesina –
The Vice-President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Honorable Antonio Tajani, participated today via video conference in an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Union focused on the latest developments in the Middle East.
Tajani summarized his position in 5 main points: new humanitarian aid for the Lebanese people; the possibility of a coordinated evacuation of Italian and European citizens from Lebanon; support and possible strengthening of the Unifil mission, in response to the request made to Israel for protections for UN soldiers; confirmation of the ceasefire request and support for a political agreement for the election of the new president in Lebanon.
The Minister confirmed the strong concern of the Italian Government about the impact of the ongoing conflict on the population: “Italy is on the front line to relieve the suffering of civilians. In addition to the campaigns for the Palestinian population, we have allocated another 17 million euros to respond to the needs of the displaced population”. The Vice-President of the Council has decided to coordinate a campaign implemented at the Farnesina to support the extension of Lebanon to Italian civil society.
Tajani then reported to his colleagues in the EU about what was revealed in the telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in particular with the request to respect the location and security of the UN troops involved in the UNIFIL mission on the border between Israel and Lebanon. The Minister recalled that “Italy’s diplomatic and military commitment to Lebanon’s stability will continue and that Italy is ready to strengthen support for the UNIFIL mission”.
Tajani pointed out how “the ceasefire and the restoration of tranquility on the Blue Line are essential: at the G7 meeting in New York last week, we invited the parties to the resolution 1701 of the Security Council action as a whole”.
According to Tajani, the EU must favor political change in Lebanon in order to resolve the political crisis that has been preventing the election of the President of the Republic of Lebanon for months and, as a result, allow The Lebanese government returned to work effectively.
Regarding the presence of Italian and European citizens in Lebanon, the Minister told his colleagues that many Italians have already left the country but that the Government is ready for possible assistance in case of emergency in evacuation, and he suggested coordinating efforts. at EU level to protect Union citizens who may be in trouble.
