The terrorist threat in Afghanistan
is concrete, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told a G7-EU-NATO
extraordinary summit on the Asian country Monday, according to
persons present.
Di Maio said the suicide-bomb attack at Kabul airport that
killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and13 US soldiers and more
recent rocket attacks thwarted by US defence systems showed that
"the terrorist threat in Afghanistan is concrete and must be
addressed".
He added "it is fundamental to maintain close cooperation in
facing the Afghan crisis."
Di Maio thanked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for calling
the summit, which Di Maio said was "an important opportunity to
discuss a shared strategy".
Di Maio went on: "Our Embassy promptly moved to Rome and is
fully operational. Our special envoy to Afghanistan is in Doha.
It is important to continue to guarantee close liaison there too
and decide a common position among allies on where to place our
diplomatic presence. It is fundamental to act together towards
the Taliban. We must judge them by their actions, not by their
words".
Di Maio went on: "Afghanistan cannot again become a breeding
ground for terrorism and a threat to international security. WE
must remain vigilant and make sure the Taliban respect their
commitment to prevent any terrorist group operating in the
country. In this regard, we must work with all the parties that
share this same concern, starting with the countries in the
region and including Russia and China. The commitment of the
whole international community is needed".
Di Maio went on: "WE will continue to supply humanitarian
assistance and we will revise cooperation programmes in order to
direct as many resources as possible towards humanitarian aid,
in particular towards the region's needy countries.
"As (Premier Mario) Draghi told the G7, we are ready to
re-employ funds originally destined for supporting Afghan forces
towards aid programmes. At the same time we will have to be
vigilant to make sure that humanitarian access to the Country is
guaranteed, that aid effectively reaches those who need it and
that there are no impediments to the presence of the UN
agencies".
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