Ukraine, energy resources, wheat, Palestine: these are the topics touched upon in the meeting between Mario Draghi, on a visit to Israel, and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. «Italy will continue to support Ukraine and its desire to join the European Union. We continue to work for peace and ceasefire negotiations “of war on terms that Ukraine deems appropriate,” said Draghi during a press point with the Israeli prime minister.
«I want to thank the Israeli government for its mediation effort in this crisis. The Italian government continues to work so that a ceasefire and peace negotiations are reached as soon as possible, in terms that Ukraine will deem acceptable, ”added the premier.
Draghi then spoke of the need for safe corridors for the transport of grain: «We have very little time. We also discussed the risk of a food catastrophe due to the blockade of the ports of the Black Sea. We must operate with the utmost urgency the safe corridors for the transport of grain. We have very little time, because in a few weeks the new harvest will be ready and it may be impossible to keep it ».
“On the energy front, we work together in the use of gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean and for the development of renewable energy”, explained the premier. “We want to reduce our dependence on Russian gas and accelerate the energy transition towards the climate goals we have set ourselves,” he remarked.
“Israel represents a friendly country for Italy, a fundamental partner. Our relationships are close and have been further strengthened in recent years, in the health, economic and commercial sectors. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a continuous exchange of information between our governments, to improve our vaccination and contagion strategies, “explained Draghi. “We exchanged tips via Whatsapp,” recalled Bennet. “We want this collaboration in the medical and scientific fields to continue and also extend to many other fields – added Draghi – Despite Covid-19, trade has increased in 2021, and this trend seems to be confirmed again this year. We want to further strengthen our cooperation, especially in the most innovative sectors, such as robotics, sustainable mobility, aerospace and technology applied to agriculture ».
The two also talked about Palestine. «The recent meetings have allowed us to examine together the situation in the region and to support the process of normalization of relations between Israel and some Arab countries. We addressed the situation in Lebanon and Syria, the stability of which affects the whole area, and we examined the possibility of a relaunch of the peace process with Palestine. This is a theme that I will also explore during my visit to Ramallah ».