Italy on Monday became the first country to send its foreign minister to Washington since the arrival of Joe Biden at the White House, thanks to a gradual resumption of diplomacy “in person” despite the pandemic.
The meeting between US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio at the State Department aimed to celebrate 160 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Italy.
The Secretary of State told reporters that the interview would focus on Afghanistan, Ukraine and Libya – Rome being at the forefront of the Libyan dossier. The fight against COVID-19 and climate change also had to be addressed.
“This is an opportunity to mark this historic anniversary and above all to reaffirm our commitment to work together,” said Antony Blinken.
“Democracy and human rights are other topics that have united us for many years. Italy’s voice will continue to be crucial on these issues in the future, ”he added.
The brief speech of the chief American diplomat broke with his predecessor Mike Pompeo, who remained mostly silent while receiving his visitors in front of the cameras at the State Department. But like the former Republican minister, the Democrat did not answer questions from the media.
Luigi Di Maio is also due to meet in Washington with White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, both Italian-Americans. He is to participate in a tribute on the Capitol for a police officer killed in an attack in early April.
The government of Joe Biden, anxious to set an example in compliance with health rules, has refrained from increasing diplomatic exchanges “face-to-face”.
But after several virtual meetings staged in the image of real trips, Antony Blinken made his first trips, to Brussels and to Asia, and the new president will receive Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the White House on Friday. will be the first foreign leader to be welcomed to Washington.