De-escalating high tensions Middle East and stopping Israel's conflict with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas from spreading further in the region were the focus of talks Thursday between Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.
"Italy, also in its role as G7 rotating president, strongly condemned Iran’s (missile and drone) attack last Saturday," a foreign ministry statement cited Tajani as saying during the talks on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers' meeting on the island of Capri from Wednesday to Friday.
"I personally expressed Italy’s solidarity with Israel's foreign minister (Israel Katz)," the statement quoted Tajani as telling Baerbock.
The conversation with Katz "focused on the need to stop the spiral of violence in the Middle East, now exacerbated by Iran’s attack on Israel," Tajani told Baerbock, said the statement.
Tajani also urged Katz "to be prudent and to refrain from any response or retaliation,” the statement quoted Tajani as saying.
It is crucial that Israel heeds Western calls for restraint and avoids retaliation against Iran and a planned military offensive in the town of Rafah on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt - where over 1.4 million Gazans have fled to - Tajani underlined to Baerbock, according to the statement.
Tajani told Baerbock he hoped a ceasefire in Gaza would be implemented in lined with UN Security Council Resolution 2728, which was passed on 25 March.
"This is essential to deliver humanitarian aid for the civilian population and to facilitate a broader de-escalation, which also requires the release of all hostages (kidnapped by Hamas in its deadly 7 October cross-border attack)," the statement said.
Ending the Russia-Ukraine war, a priority of the Italian G7 Presidency, also played a central role in Tajani and Bauerbock's talks, the statement said.
Italy and Germany, as G7 countries and founding members of the European Union can play a "crucial" role in advancing peace efforts "at all levels," the statement cited Tajani as saying.
Italy is continuing its political, financial and military support to Kiev, which is “essential to allow Ukraine to take part in peace negotiations on equal footing," he said.
Besides the volatile Middle East situation, Russia's 26-month-old invasion of Ukraine is a major topic at the Capri meeting, where Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg are slated to join the talks on Thursday.
