Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Giulio Terzi welcomes UfM Secretary General Sijilmassi in Rome

Rome, 26 November, 2012.- The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean Fathallah Sijilmassi met Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Giulio Terzi this Monday in Rome at the Palace of La Farnesina.

The Italian Minister pointed out that Italy will continue supporting transitions in the Euro-Mediterranean region through enhancing political dialogue and economic cooperation.

Minister Terzi confirmed the Italian commitment to reinforce the role of the Union for the Mediterranean, in particular its capacity to develop concrete projects in the framework of defined strategies, with the aim of contributing to respond efficiently to the expectations of the population in the region.

Minister Terzi stressed that Italy will continue supporting a strategy to reinforce the tools of the EU in the Mediterranean, and pointed out Italian’s support to the 5+5 Dialogue. The head of the Italian diplomacy said that the last Summit of Heads of State and Government in Malta, with the participation of Prime Minister Monti, reinforced the role of this regional forum.

In this context, both the Secretary General and Minister Terzi agreed on the need to promote coherence of the different formats of regional cooperation and enhance efficiency, particularly creating synergies between the UfM and the 5+5 Dialogue.

Press release in Italian (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)