US Secy Blinken thanks Italy's Foreign Min for assisting in temporary transit of Afghans

US State Secretary Antony Blinken praised Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio for Rome's assistance in the temporary transit of thousands of Afghans through the Sigonella naval facility in Italy, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

"Today in Paris, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. Secretary Blinken expressed gratitude to Foreign Minister Di Maio for their tight cooperation on Afghanistan, particularly Italy's help for the temporary transit of thousands of Afghans through Naval Air Station Sigonella," Price noted in a released statement.

Blinken and Di Maio also discussed the upcoming G20 Leaders' Summit in Rome, as well as the Ethiopian situation. They raised concerns over the political and humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia, which has been compounded by the Ethiopian government's recent expulsion of important UN officials and Eritrea's continued destabilising military presence in Ethiopia. They also agreed on the necessity of maintaining Sahel stability, according to the statement.

Along with Ramstein Air Base in Germany and Naval Station Rota in Spain, Sigonella was one of the US locations in Europe that harboured Afghan migrants who were evacuated by the US. Ethiopia is now mired in an internal struggle involving government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a major local political group. Tensions in the country's north flared up again in November 2020, after the government accused the TPLF of attacking a military base and responded with a counter-offensive.

US-Italy relations

The relationship between Italy and the United States is warm and amicable. Since 1840, the United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Italy and its precursor, the Kingdom of Italy. Italy is a key partner in counter-terrorism operations, having been a founding member of both the EU and NATO. The US and Italy work together for peace, prosperity, and security at the United Nations, in other regional organisations, and bilaterally.

Italy holds substantial US military forces at Vicenza and Livorno (army); Aviano (air force); and Sigonella, Gaeta, and Naples—home port for the US Navy Sixth Fleet—under long standing bilateral accords resulting from NATO membership. In Italy, the United States has approximately 11,500 military personnel stationed whereas, the NATO Defense College is located in Rome, Italy.

Image: AP