ROMA (ITALPRESS) – “Italy has a 360 approach to the Arctic, a nerve region in global geopolitical competition”. Thus the President of the Council, Giorgia Meloni, in a message sent to the Conference of presentation of Italian Arctic Policy. “Italy has never considered the Arctic as a remote area without any interest. On the contrary, we have always looked at this dial of the world for what it really is: a strategic region where economics, environment, research, energy and today more than ever security and defence,” continues Meloni.
Italy “will continue to do its part to preserve the Arctic as a area of peace, cooperation and prosperity – says Meloni –. We are an observer country in the Arctic Council” and “we have always maintained respect for international law”. “We are convinced – the premier emphasizes – that the Arctic should be more and more a priority of the European Union and NATO and that the Atlantic Alliance should take the opportunity to develop in the region a coordinated presence and able to prevent tensions, preserve stability and respond to the ingestions of other actors.”.
TAJANI “AGGIORNIAMO STRATEGIA PER STABILITÀ DELL’AREA”
“Italy has a strategic vision of political presence in the Arctic region”. This was said, at Villa Madama during the press conference to present the strategic document on the Arctic the vice president of the Council and foreign minister, Antonio Tajani. “The Arctic for us has always been a special interest in navigation, security and economic interest,” he continued. What happens today, Tajani added, “it requires us to update our political, economic and research action. We are interested in the stability of the area, to an increasing presence of the European Union and NATO, because with the geopolitical comparisons we have in these months and in these days we cannot fail to have an updated strategy”.
“When I was vice president of the European Commission in 2012 I was in Greenland, which in these days is at the heart of global attention. The attention of Europe and Italy that is not born today. We have always recognized her a centrality. There is a link between our administrations and the work which led the Parliament.” Thus the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, recalling that from the geo-strategic point of view the goal is “to ensure that the security of the West is guaranteed by strong political action and also security. It is not a matter of sending 10-20 soldiers, but it means having a strategy in the head. It is not a tactical but strategic question. We have a 360 degree joint vision. We are observers in the Arctic Council but we are also active, so working intensively also from the economic point of view“, concluded Tajani.
“The Arctic is rich in raw materials and from this point of view we must also think about mobilizing our enterprises. We are preparing with our embassy in Copenhagen an entrepreneurial mission dedicated to the Arctic theme, where there are defense industries, Leonardo and Fincantieri that operate in that area. Also because we are able to realize research ships, like those that use our military navy. We must create an artificial business table with all our major industrial groups in the key sectors: defence, energy, environment and space that are already present in the arts. We want to support them and be at their side to put them in a context of internationalization of our business system and to be at the forefront also for export in this part of the world. We will put the Arctic region among the priorities of the agenda for the internationalization of our production fabric”.
CROSETTO “OCCORE QUALCUNO CHE COSTRUISCA DELLE REGOLE”
“We are available, as we have done so far, to commit ourselves as a defence because the axis of defence is fundamental to the support on which to do research, diplomacy and is the base on which the country presents itself and allows us to be part of international conventions.” So the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, during the conference of presentation of Italian Arctic Policy, organized in Villa Madama. “In that area that is nobody’s land you need to have someone build rules,” he added. “The defence will have in the coming years, for international commitments assumed, the need for an increase in its budget which I consider as an increase in the country’s budget and not only the military part. The Arctic will be two places, together with space, seabeds and Africa, where to make synergy”, he concluded.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
