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ROME, Dec 3 (KUNA) -- Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Saturday diplomatic consultations held during the 2016 Rome Med - Mediterranean Dialogues prepared ground for the resumption of the intra-Syrian peace talks.
The Mediterranean has become the epicenter of international disorder, he said at the conclusion of the gathering held under the theme of "MED 2016 - Beyond Turmoil. A positive Agenda."
"The region is now synonymous with conflicts, political instability, terrorism, and mass migration. Are we doomed to surrender to chaos? Certainly not. But we must act rapidly," Gentiloni pointed out.
"Business as usual is no longer an option for the Mediterranean. We are called upon to define a long-term, comprehensive strategy to stabilize the region: this should become Europe's new historic mission.
"Our first priority remains the defeat of Daesh and of violent extremism. At the same time, we have to look beyond the current turmoil, and imagine a new regional order, built through diplomacy, ownership, resilience, partnership, governance and co-development.
"The Mediterranean offers opportunities we should grasp. It is not just crisis, danger and instability. It is where Europe's future happens.
"That is why we need to engage in drafting a positive agenda for the region. In order to pursue this goal, we should also consider Africa's potential, whose challenges are strictly related to the Mediterranean," he added.
The Italian minister voiced hope that the coming days will see the breaking of the stalemate in Syria and the success of the efforts being made in this regard by the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov.
Yesterday Lavrov asked de Mistura to speed up the arrangements for a new round of talks between the Syrian warring parties.
On his part, de Mistura stressed, in his remarks to the gathering earlier today, the need of reaching a mutually-acceptable political solution to the conflict in Syria regardless of the military developments on the ground.
He reiterated the call for the Syrian government to engage in substantive negotiations on power sharing without further delay in order to prevent deterioration of the civil strife in the country.
The UN Envoy announced plan to travel to the United States for talks with the administration of President-elect Donald Trump on the Syrian crisis.
The Rome Med - Mediterranean Dialogues is an annual high-level initiative organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies).
It aims to draft a "positive agenda" for the Mediterranean region by stimulating debate and new ideas, rethinking traditional approaches and addressing shared challenges at both the regional and the international level.
This year three-day event gathered 500 leaders in business, politics and culture, including representatives of 45 think-tanks, from 55 countries.
Kuwait was represented by its ambassador to Italy Sheikh Ali Khaled Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (end)
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