ROMA (ITALPRESS) – The Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani met today at the Farnesina the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. A note from the Farnesina, pointing out that, in the context of a broader growth in the European capacity to respond to crises, Tajani first stressed the importance of consolidating the partnership of the European Union with the Gulf countries, of actively protecting the principle of freedom of navigation and of strengthening the European commitment to maritime safety in the Red Sea and Hormuz, also in order to safeguard the main international maritime routes.
Tajani recalled the need to strengthen the European operation ASPIDES, to which Italy makes a major contribution. High Representative Kallas thanked Italy for the important contribution in terms of diplomatic and military personnel and naval units to European security missions. The High Representative thanked Minister Tajani, recalling that at present a third of the contributions to the EU’s international missions are made available by Italy.
During the meeting, the outlook for the EU’s external action and the tools for making it more effective in the face of international crises were discussed. Minister Tajani gave the High Representative an Italian proposal to make SEAE (the European Service for External Action of the EU) more strong and effective, also towards citizens and businesses. On Ukraine and the main challenges to European security, Tajani stressed the importance of maintaining high European support, particularly in this phase of renewed Russian military attacks, also recalling the need to strengthen the European response to hybrid threats and the external dimension of cybersecurity.
The High Representative updated him on the interview he had during the morning with the Holy Father. Tajani and Kallas also discussed the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU, the balances in the Indo-Pacific and the relations of the European Union with China and the African continent, even in the light of recent tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
– Photo Ministry of Foreign Affairs –
(ITALPRESS).
