Paolo Toschi
As we enter the holy month of Ramadan, for which I present my best wishes to all, it feels appropriate to look at this complex time with a sense of perspective. The year 2024 presents great tests for the international community as a whole, affected by conflict and grappling with many challenges. They stem from both long-term as well as emerging crises, from global issues and from the transformation of our economies. We are all called upon charting a way forward and identifying opportunities for progress.
A nation in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, stretching out towards the Middle East and Africa, Italy finds itself at the crossroads of such challenges and opportunities. We are addressing them bilaterally together with our allies and partners, including the State of Qatar, and in multilateral fora such as the UN, NATO, the European Union and the G7, of which we hold the Presidency for 2024.
The G7 is not only a yearly summit of Leaders. It is also a platform united by common values and it plays an important role in defending freedom and democracy and addressing global challenges. The Italian G7 Presidency features a dense programme, with the Leaders’ Summit scheduled on June 13-15 in the beautiful Apulia region alongside the Italian southern coast. A key focus of our tenure is the defense of the rule of law based on international principles and the United Nations system. Both Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in Gaza have undermined the international rule of law and triggered growing instability, with multiple challenges unfolding as a consequence.
With regard to Palestine, Italy has always been supportive of the “two States” solution. Both the people of Israel and Palestine are entitled to their own State in accordance with international law, a position that our Government and notably Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani have reiterated publicly on many occasions. The goal must be to bring stability to the region by satisfying the legitimate demand for a Palestinian state, coexisting in peace with Israel.
Civilians have no responsibility for the conflict and it is crucial to protect them. Our country has strongly condemned the brutal attacks of October 7 and also repeatedly called upon Israel to protect civilians. Italy has called for a sustainable ceasefire to be reached as soon as possible, a position expressed both by our Government and our Parliament.
With all of this in mind, and as the crisis continues to unfold, we are working together with all key international stakeholders, in particular in the Arab world, to provide development aid and humanitarian relief to Gaza, where the condition of the population is desperate.
Qatar is a leading partner in such efforts, as shown by the Qatari Armed Forces medical team deployed on board the Italian Navy vessel “Nave Vulcano”, stationed offshore at Al Areesh in Egypt at the end of 2023 and providing medical assistance to civilian patients that have eventually been transferred, last February, to both Italian and Qatari hospitals, for further treatment. Children patients from Gaza and their families are flown to Italy to receive treatment and assistance. In addition, Italy launched the Food for Gaza programme, joining the efforts of FAO, World Food Programme, Red Cross and Red Crescent to coordinate assistance.
Stability of the Middle East is a key priority of Italy’s international action. We are gravely concerned about the risks of spillover in the region originating from, and connected to, the conflict in Gaza, notably in Lebanon, where we have historically contributed an important component of the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission.
Italy, through its armed forces, will continue to support peace and stability and maintain a de-escalatory posture in the area. With our Navy we are poised to lead three international maritime security missions, aimed at protecting freedom of navigation in the waters surrounding the Arab peninsula, including the new European mission ASPIDES, a defensive mission meant to safeguard trade routes in the Red Sea by adopting a de-escalatory approach.
Another key priority for this year and beyond is our relationship with Africa. The development and stability of the African continent is essential for our future, our fates intertwined on so many different levels, from collective security to the economy, from development and demographics to immigration.
We are fully committed to contribute to the success of Africa, acting as a partner, a peaceful and constructive actor, in a paradigm based on peer-to-peer interaction with all governments of the continent. This approach has been outlined in the Italy-Africa summit held on January 28th in Rome, where 45 African States were represented to discuss new partnerships focused on investment in areas ranging from health to power generation to food security and more. Such plan is named after Enrico Mattei, the founder of energy enterprise ENI and one of the pioneers of a new partnership approach to Africa and Middle East. The “Mattei plan” has been financed with 5,5 billions euros to promote development projects in the continent on a peer to peer basis and many initiatives are following suit. This plan goes hand in hand with the Rome Process on Development and Migration, aimed at providing the countries of migration origin and of transit with the right tools to address this monumental, common challenge.
Today we also see with more and more clarity the leaps. forward but also the challenges connected to technological developments that are shaping the future of mankind and of international relations, such as the climate-energy nexus, solutions for food security, and Artificial Intelligence. All of these present opportunities and risks, affecting geopolitical balance. Our objective is ensuring that technological development, including AI, remains human-centered and human-controlled.
In this complex time, Italy knows that it has a solid, reliable partner in Qatar. When dealing with so many pressing issues on the global agenda, especially in the broader Mediterranean region, we value Doha as a key stakeholder, whose contribution to regional dialogue and stability is pivotal.
Bilateral relations between Italy and Qatar see today an excellent level of cooperation across all sectors. From political consultations to defense, from energy security and infrastructure to trade, from scientific research to culture, we achieved unprecedented results and are working together in reaching even higher targets. Over the last year this was the path set forth through top level contacts, including the exchange of visits to Rome and Doha by His Highness the Amir and by our Prime Minister. We are committed to continue on this successful, common journey for 2024 and beyond.
Challenging times require determination and cohesion: working hard as a team. Indeed, the road ahead is not easy. What I am certain of, is that the dynamic partnership and ever stronger friendship between Italy and Qatar will continue to be a force for good, advancing prosperity and stability in the region and beyond, facing adversity as well as harnessing opportunity.
