Tajani’s talks in Lebanon come on the identical day he met Syria’s de facto chief Ahmed al-Sharaa in his first go to to Damascus for the reason that fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad final 12 months.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani met the newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut.
After their assembly, Tajani praised Aoun’s management, saying {that a} president with a “very influential character” would assist contribute to peace within the area.
Speaking on the Italian embassy, Tajani mentioned Lebanon’s stability may assist implement the ceasefire and contribute to efforts to determine a ceasefire in Gaza.
“I feel the steadiness of Lebanon will strengthen the ceasefire within the south of the nation and also will assist, I feel, speed up the ceasefire in Gaza. There are hostages, there are too many deaths, and subsequently, whether or not for the Palestinian inhabitants or for the hostages, we’ve to rush,” he instructed reporters.
Tajani additionally held a video name with officers and troopers of the Italian battalion serving on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Italy maintains a contingent of roughly 1,067 troopers inside UNIFIL, together with the Italair unit, a joint pressure crew that operates helicopters.
Italair’s workforce is principally made up of personnel from the Italian Army, with contributions from the Navy and the Air Force.
Founded in 1979, it’s Italy’s longest-running worldwide mission unit, and persistently helps United Nations actions in Lebanon.
In December Tajani condemned an assault on a UNIFIL base that injured 4 Italian peacekeepers.
The base was hit by rockets allegedly fired by Hezbollah or its associates throughout a 12 months of hostility between the militant group and Israel that ended with a ceasefire in late November final 12 months.
That assault was additionally criticized by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
UNIFIL is a global mission established by the United Nations Security Council in 1978 to revive peace and safety in southern Lebanon, close to the Israeli border.
Tajani’s talks with Aoun in Beirut come on the identical day he met Syria’s de facto chief Ahmed al-Sharaa in his first go to to Damascus for the reason that fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad final 12 months.
Al-Sharaa took workplace as head of Syria’s new administration following the meteoric insurgent offensive that toppled al-Assad’s regime in December.
Tajani additionally held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
ANNOUNCEMENT“Italy is able to do its half to encourage the reform course of in Syria,” Tajani mentioned in Damascus, recalling that Italy reopened its embassy in Damascus final 12 months.
“We need to revive financial cooperation in essential sectors. We need to be a bridge between the brand new Syria and the EU.”
