The dialogue partnership between Italy and the IORA continues. The 21st IORA Council of Ministers has just ended, attended by the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Manlio Di Stefano, which stressed the need for global cooperation in multilateral fora such as IORA to address the challenges faced by the international community “The threat posed by the pandemic may be the most immediate, but climate change and global economic recovery are equally pressing issues to address. These challenges are global in nature and therefore need to be addressed with a global response. To tackle the global challenges ahead of us together, the Indian Ocean region plays a key role. During these difficult years, IORA was able to address crucial issues for the Indian Ocean region with a series of timely initiatives. Italy is well aware of having large participation in the Indian Ocean and sees IORA as an important partner, alongside its Member States and the Partners of the Dialogue“
Undersecretary Di Stefano continued focusing on the partnership relationship with the IORA and on possible future initiatives – “Italy has chosen to adopt a very proactive approach in our capacity as interlocutor of IORA. We are pleased that on many occasions Italy has been able to share its experience and ideas with a series of concrete initiatives. In 2022, Italy will further increase cooperation with IORA and its member states, with initiatives focused on the IORA priority pillars of the blue economy”.
Furthermore, the 23rd Meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) took place from 15 – 16 November 2021 and was chaired by H.E. Rear Admiral Md. Khurshed Alam, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The IORA National Focal Point for Italy, Gianpaolo Neri, Head of South Asian Desk of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, intervened as the Italian delegate.