Italy is once again a protagonist on the global stage, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on the sidelines of the 16th Conference of Italian Ambassadors in the World at the foreign ministry on Monday.
"This year Italy is back as a protagonist on the international stage," said Tajani, "I am thinking of what has been done in the Balkans and in Africa, of all the action to reduce migration flows by fighting traffickers with agreements with the countries of origin," he continued.
"I am thinking of what we have done within the G7 and what we will do next year, because from January 1 Italy will be leading the G7," said Tajani, adding: "Italy wants to be a bearer of peace in the world, we are doing this in the Middle East".
The foreign minister condemned Saturday's attack by Israeli snipers on the Catholic church complex in Gaza in which two women, a mother and daughter, were killed.
"Obviously the condemnation for what Hamas did, which then provoked this new conflict, is very firm," said Tajani referring to the October 7 attack on Israel from Gaza.
However, Italy "calls on Israel to always have a proportionate reaction and to safeguard the civilian population. It seems serious to me that snipers should be shooting inside Christian churches, the terrorists are not there, the Hamas terrorists are in the underground tunnels," he continued.
"That is why I appealed to both the Israeli army and the government not to hit places of worship where there are unarmed people and to safeguard the civilian population," said Tajani.
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