(Adnkronos) – Italy and allied countries are willing to take part in a multilateral naval mission to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz and re-open the key waterway, provided a ceasefire holds in the region and given Parliament’s approval, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday.
“Italy, together with its allied partners, is ready to play its part in a multilateral naval mission aimed at mine clearance and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Tajani told MPs during question time.
“As the Prime Minister (Giorgia Meloni) has also underlined, our participation is contingent upon a stable ceasefire and broad international consensus on the mission’s mandate,” he said.
Tajani and his ministry are working on these conditions in close coordination with Italy’s defense minister Guido Crosetto, Tajani noted.
“Once these conditions are met, we will return to Parliament to seek authorisation from the lower and upper houses,” he continued.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tajani addressing a meeting in Rome centred on stabilising the Middle East, on fully re-opening the Strait of Hormuz, freedom of shipping in the waterway and measures to help businesses hardest hit by the the key oil and fertiliser conduit’s three-month closure amid the US-Iran war.
“Stabilising the Middle East region and fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz are essential to reduce the impact on Italy’s economy of rising energy and transportation costs, Tajani told the meeting.
Full security and freedom of navigation are essential conditions for the re-opening of the Strait, Tajani underlined, underscoring the importance meanwhile of continuing to develop alternative trade routes.
Tajani cited as examples the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) rail and sea link and the opportunities offered by the Arctic routes opened up by melted ice due to global warming, which are emerging as alternatives to traditional ones such as the Suez and Panama canals, particularly for the US, Russia and China.
