Cop 27, promise of Giorgia Meloni: Italy will do its part

A series of bilateral meetings and then the intervention in the plenary. Giorgia Meloni arrives at Cop27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt and, during the first day of the world climate summit, sees some of the main “big ones of the world” present on the sidelines. From UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, from Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Algerian Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The hottest dossiers on the table. But the fight against climate change is the focus of his speech from the stage. “Italy will do its part”, guarantees the prime minister. At the same time, he warns: “The fight against climate change is a common effort, which requires the full involvement of all countries. Unfortunately, we must admit that this is not happening.” The absence of India and China from COP27 weighs like a stone. Still, the goals of the 2030 Agenda and in view of 2050 are clear. Among the commitments declared by Meloni, according to which our country is willing to accelerate in renewable energies, is also that of “developing our energy diversification strategy in close collaboration with several African countries”.

Returning to the bilateral, among the most anticipated is the one with “Lord” Al-Sisi. During the meeting we talked about energy supply and then also about renewable sources, climate crisis and immigration. But the face-to-face meeting gave the prime minister the opportunity to raise the issue of respect for human rights and to underline – says Palazzo Chigi – “Italy’s strong focus on the cases of Giulio Regeni and Patrick Zaki”. The main European and international issues, “from the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine to the resulting energy crisis and the management of migratory flows” were at the center of the meeting between the Prime Minister and Scholz, who also confirmed their intention to consolidate relations bilateral agreements on the Italy-Germany axis. The fight against legal immigration was then among the topics addressed in the bilateral agreement between Sunak and Meloni. The British Prime Minister and the Prime Minister – Downing Street underlines – “had a positive discussion on a number of common issues and priorities, including the fight against illegal immigration and the gangs involved in human trafficking”. Sunak and Meloni, reports Palazzo Chigi, also spoke of “the main challenges that the international community must face, first of all the need for a united response to Russian aggression against Ukraine, and underlined the importance of cooperation between Italy and the United Kingdom United in the G7 and NATO sectors. Together, Italy and the United Kingdom will be able to strengthen the transatlantic link”.

At the heart of the “cordial conversation” with Guterres, by the way, is the collaboration between Italy and the United Nations to face the main global challenges, including the climate. Meloni confirmed to Guterres “Italy’s full support for UN mediation in Libya.” The repercussions of the war in Ukraine were therefore addressed, in particular with regard to the food crisis that especially affects the most vulnerable countries and especially Africa. And not only. The bilateral between Meloni and Israeli President Herzog then focused on “excellent bilateral collaboration and energy transition”. During the meeting, moreover, “a strong consonance was shared in the defense of common values ​​based on the fight against anti-Semitism”. The conversation between Meloni and Tebboune, on the other hand, offered the opportunity to confirm the “solid bilateral partnership” and the “intense friendly relations” between Italy and Algeria “with increasingly important economic and energy perspectives, as well as in countless other areas of collaboration” between the two countries.