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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held talks with Antonio Tajani, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on the situation in West Asia.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said, "Appreciate the phone conversation with DPM & FM Antonio Tajani of Italy. Discussed the situation in West Asia." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2031022285784842487?s=20 Sharing details about the phone call, Tajani said that the two talked about the partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X, he said, "I talked with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss developments in the Gulf and the entire Middle Eastern region. Europe and India are strategic partners: the partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz poses a serious risk to energy security and the economic stability of our countries." https://x.com/Antonio_Tajani/status/2031040704709857768?s=20 "We shared a strong concern over the strategic implications and the protection of our citizens present in the area. In this context, we aim to coordinate our actions to promote an immediate de-escalation, ensure freedom of navigation, and preserve the stability of international markets--elements that are also essential for the full operation of the EU-India free trade agreement," he added. He further said that the crisis shows the importance of strengthening infrastructure and new routes, like IMEC. He said, "The crisis underscores how crucial it is to strengthen investments in new infrastructure and secure routes: the IMEC corridor is a clear example. To this end, we will dedicate a political and economic initiative to it on March 17 in Trieste, with the goal of bolstering our trade, digital, and energy connections and building together an economic space from which our businesses can benefit." Meanwhile, Meloni on Thursday pledged air-defence support to Gulf states hit by retaliatory fire from Iran, and her defense minister said Italy would send "naval assets" to protect Cyprus. She is simultaneously insisting, however, that Italy will not give direct support to the US-Israeli war against Tehran, and noted that US bases in Italy are authorized only to offer logistical support, not to conduct offensive operations, Politico reported. "We're not at war; we don't want to go to war," she told RTL radio on Thursday, as reported by Politico. (ANI)
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