Italian PM calls for dialogue in Mediterranean

Esma Çakır - ROME

All countries in the Mediterranean must follow international rules and seek a way of dialogue to solve the problems, Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte has said.

“The Mediterranean concerns all of us and that’s why the ancient Romans called it ‘Mare Nostrum’ [Our Sea]. In other words, the Mediterranean does not belong to Italy, France or Turkey, it belongs to all of us,” Conte said in a press meeting with foreign media representatives in Rome.

“We must all follow the international rules and seek ways for dialogue,” he added.

Underlining that the EU member states are in solidarity with Greece and Greek Cyprus, Conte reiterated his call for Turkey to avoid unilateral initiatives.

“We call for Turkey to establish relations with all [EU] members one by one, without hostile and provocative initiatives that may be incompatible with international law,” he said.

Noting that Italy is working for a constructive dialogue between the EU member states and Turkey, Conte pointed out that the only way to decrease the rising tension in the region was through dialogue.

“Italy knows the strategic role of Turkey, which has an important role in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans. So we have to build a dialogue with it based on this fact,” he added.

Conte underlined the need to encourage a virtuous cycle in Turkey’s relations with both Italy and the EU.