Premier: “Historic relations with Italy, I intend to strengthen them”
“There is an Italian protagonism in Africa, as a whole, and in the Horn of Africa, which for us is crucial and sensitive for many matters”, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told reporters upon her arrival at the Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa. Meloni recalled the “excellent friendship” with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali: “Today is the third time we’ve met”, underlined the Fdi leader.
Meloni arrived at Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport, welcomed by the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali. After the military honors and the honor guard review, the two met in an airport hall. Also present was the ambassador of Italy, Agostino Palese. Also part of the Italian delegation is Edmondo Cirielli, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
“Ethiopia is a hub for many things. It is a country whose stability is fundamental for the Horn of Africa region. It is a country with which Italy boasts important historical relations, which I intend to strengthen”, the Prime Minister said again.
“Here there are many subjects to discuss, migration is a consequence. Here are many of our companies with their investments” starting with infrastructure, “which can be referred to what I call the Mattei Plan for Africa. This nation has need financial support and we are dealing with it, as we are doing, in a very different situation, with Tunisia”, he said again.
“We are working on a series of initiatives concerning Africa. One is the ‘Stocktaking Moment’, the FAO event we are organizing in Rome on 24-26 July, to which we have invited the African Union and the Ethiopian prime minister ; another is the Italy-Africa intergovernmental summit which is celebrated every two years, and the next one takes place in autumn: that could be the right occasion to definitively present our Mattei Plan, on which we collaborate with these countries”, he then announced Melons.
“I continue to be convinced that this work produces much more than the effort it requires, for the Italian and European national interest, for the stability of a continent on which perhaps we have not done enough in recent years and which today sees the entry of I believe that a strong role for Italy and Europe is appropriate in the work of stabilizing and developing Africa”, he underlined.
”I welcome Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni on a two-day official visit to Ethiopia. The visit is essential to further strengthen ties between our two countries”, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali wrote on Twitter.
Source-www.adnkronos.com