Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani is taking part in Nato's summit in Washington through Thursday with premier Giorgia Meloni and defence minister Guido Crosetto, a meeting that will likely focus on Ukraine, the foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
At the three-day summit, Allies will celebrate 75 years since the signing of the Atlantic Pact and the establishment of the military alliance.
"The Washington Summit will serve to renew the message of unity and cohesion of the Allies in support of Ukraine, which the Italian G7 presidency has placed at the centre of its agenda," Tajani said in a statement.
"It will be important to ensure that the commitment to a gradual and sustainable increase in defence spending is accompanied by due consideration of the contribution that Italy provides in terms of men and means to NATO missions."
"In addition to the focus on Ukraine and cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners, we want NATO to devote equal energies to the Southern Flank, because it is necessary to cultivate a 360-degree Euro-Atlantic security vision," the minister commented.
Tajani is also set to chair a meeting of G7 foreign ministers on Thursday at the Nato venue that will centre on the situation in the Middle East, in line with the Italian presidency's continued focus on the region, according to the statement.
There will also be "an exchange of views" at the Nato summit on the continuing instability in the Red Sea amid Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks on shipping (allegedly in support of embattled and besieged Gazans), the statement noted.
The Red Sea will also be the focus of a trade ministerial meeting on 16-17 July in Reggio Calabria and Villa San Giovanni in southern Italy, said the statement.
While in Washington, Tajani will also attend a working dinner for foreign ministers on Wednesday, to be hosted by US secretuary of state Antony Blinken. Ministers from NATO partner countries and the European Union's top foreign policy representative Josep Borrell are also attending the dinner, according to the statement.
