RIMINI (ITALPRESS/MNA) – “We did not hesitate for a single moment to uphold Israel’s right to exist, especially after the horror of October 7. But at the same time, we cannot remain silent in the face of a reaction that has gone beyond the principle of proportionality, claiming too many innocent victims, even involving Christian communities, and now putting at serious risk the very idea of two peoples and two states.”
With these words, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed the Rimini Meeting. “We condemn the killing of journalists in Gaza. The attack on press freedom is unacceptable,” she added.
Speaking about international affairs, Meloni noted: “In recent years, Russia has shown no sign of dialogue. Now, thanks to the intervention of the U.S. president but above all to the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people and the united support of the EU and the West, there are openings for dialogue. We must believe in this opportunity to work toward a just peace. The Italian proposal for security guarantees, modeled on NATO’s Article 5, is currently the main one on the table.”
“Our shared home, to which we continue to add new bricks, is the West — a community of values that has cultivated freedom and made the care of the weakest an absolute priority,” the Premier underlined.
“That is who we are. It is what has allowed our civilization to advance over the centuries. The West still has much to say and to give, but it requires humility and self-respect. Italy is doing its part to point the way forward.”
“We have added new bricks to Italy’s international posture. We have ensured that Italy reclaims its rightful place: strong, frank, loyal, and authoritative. I am proud that the country is seen this way, no longer considered the ‘sick man of Europe,’ but even a model.”
“Europe is increasingly condemned to geopolitical irrelevance, unable to respond effectively to the challenges of competitiveness — as Mario Draghi rightly noted from this very stage. Many of the criticisms I’ve heard about the current state of the EU are ones I myself have voiced repeatedly over the years, often drawing sharp attacks,” Meloni stressed.
“The field in which we have chosen to stand is not that of ideologies or utopias, but of reality — because we must love people, and for them one must be ready to live or die. That is the field we want to play in,” she continued.
“The international press, never benevolent toward us, often tends to regard us as a positive anomaly. I won’t quote the many prophets of doom who saw foreign policy as our Achilles’ heel. I hope, in their hearts, they are glad to have been proven wrong.”
On migration, the Prime Minister was firm: “Every attempt to stop us from governing this phenomenon will be sent back to the sender. No judge, politician, or bureaucrat will prevent us from enforcing the law, from fighting the slave traders of the third millennium, and from saving human lives.”
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS)
