Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi opened the G7 Interior Ministers’ Summit by warning his G7 counterparts that international conflicts, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine, are increasing the risk of terrorist attacks.
The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine “are contributing to a growing polarisation in our societies, increasing the risk that some individuals may embrace violent ideologies and commit terrorist acts on our soil. We cannot afford to be unprepared; we must sharpen our ability to prevent such acts,” said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi in his opening statement at the start of the summit.
“There is no alarm but a heightened state of vigilance,” the minister added.
The G7 meeting of interior ministers in the southern Italian town of Mirabella Eclano focused its morning session on the threats posed by international crises, particularly the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The interior ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Vice-president and Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, and representatives of Interpol will attend the summit.
Discussions highlighted the “full agreement” between ministers, the European Commission, and international organisations on the importance of “strengthening a common strategy to prevent violent actions fuelled by ongoing radicalisation processes”.
Special emphasis was placed on “the exchange of information to detect potential threats at an early stage”.
The focus will shift to migration issues on Friday morning. According to Piantedosi’s interview on Thursday morning, the G7 could serve as “an opportunity to try to bring European countries closer to a common policy on controlling migration flows, in particular by opening legal channels of entry and cracking down on traffickers without hesitation.”
Due to recent tensions between European countries over border issues, Friday will be a key day. The ministers of Algeria and Libya, Tunisia’s deputy minister, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the director-general of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will also attend.
(Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)
Source: euractiv.com
