Telephone conversation between Minister Antonio Tajani and the new Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte

The Vice President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, had a first telephone contact yesterday afternoon with the new Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte.

The phone call made it possible to address the main issues at the centre of the Organization's agenda. “I reiterated to Secretary Rutte the commitment of the Italian Government, also within the framework of the G7 Presidency, for military and financial support to Ukraine. “We will remain alongside Kiev until a just peace is achieved” he declared TajaniThe Minister expressed strong concern over the news regarding the presence of North Korean troops on the Ukrainian front, which pose a further strategic challenge to European security with the risk of yet another escalation in the conflict.

In reaffirming the need for Strengthen cooperation between NATO and the EU, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed the Italy's full support for the adaptation of NATO posture, aimed at strengthening the Allies' ability to address threats and challenges in the Euro-Atlantic area, also with reference to new hybrid threats and in the cyber sector. "We are at the forefront in supporting the Atlantic Alliance's action in the North-Eastern Flank, in the Balkans and in Iraq. At the same time, the instability of the Sahel and the conflict in the Middle East require strengthening dialogue and cooperation with Southern Partners and giving concrete implementation to the Action Plan for the Southern Neighborhood, adopted at the Washington Summit", declared the Minister.

Secretary General Rutte and Minister Tajani also addressed the situation in Georgia and expressed concern over irregularities found in OSCE-ODHIR report on the electoral process.

Tajani and Rutte finally agreed to further explore these issues at the NATO Foreign Ministerial December, where they will also meet to address issues of particular interest to Italy such as NATO projection in the Mediterranean and the ways in which the allies will have to address the issues of "South Front".