Countries cannot sit idly in face of Russian ‘provocation’: Italian PM Meloni

New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday asserted that geographical distance from the Ukraine conflict should not “overshadow” the relevance of what is at stake and said that countries cannot sit idly in the face of Russian “provocation” which threatens to undermine stability across the globe.

Delivering the inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue here, Meloni shared her appreciation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hard work in handling a complex G20 presidency and reiterated Italy’s full support.

She said regional affairs rapidly turn into global affairs in today’s interconnected world and unfortunately “Europe’s problem” has become the “world’s problem”.

Italy and India share a profound conviction that only the rule of law can allow humanity to prosper and develop in balance and harmony, the Italian premier said, addressing the audience which included Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We are in a period of unprecedented turbulence. We are in a tempest and we need to stand tall in dealing with our challenges. We need to stand on a hill and take a deep breath and see our land and seas in a more enlightened way. We need a lighthouse,” she said in an apparent reference to the topic of the session “Lighthouse in the Tempest?”

“The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine disrupted global energy prices, brought danger to food security and sent waves of inflation across the world to the detriment of the most vulnerable, especially the Global South,” she said.

“Just one year ago we were poised to face the challenge of the 21st century such as eradicating poverty, addressing climate change, managing the impacts of digitalisation and handling the impact of new technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence,” Meloni said.

However, February 24 last year brought the world back to the issues of the 20th century, she added.

Meloni said that while in Kiev last week she witnessed the harsh reality on the ground and felt the strength of the Ukrainian national spirit.

Noting that there may be distance geographically from the conflict for many countries which may be facing their own hardships closer at hand, Meloni said that this should not, however, overshadow the relevance of what is at stake.

“Russian attack is not simply an act of war or a localised conflict, it is an attack on territorial integrity of a sovereign nation in violation of the fundamental principles of the global order that enables the international community thrive,” she said.

“We cannot allow the foundations of international law to be threatened, without which only military force would be taken into account and every state in the world would risk being invaded by its neighbours,” the Italian prime minister said.

These are not only interests of the European countries but these are the common goods for the coexistence of all countries of the world, she said.

“We cannot sit idly in the face of this provocation at the heart of the UN charter which threatens to undermine the stability across the globe. We cannot allow the law of the strongest to overcome the strength of law,” she asserted.

India’s leadership in G20 and the Raisina Dialogue together can send a message of cooperation and peace to the world, Meloni said.

Global coordination on climate change should not be a zero sum game and the Indo-Pacific countries led by India have a strong role to play in this regard, she added.

India is a key player in the Indo-Pacific and Italy is a key stakeholder in the Mediterranean, she noted.

Terrorism is a concern that needs to be faced by a wide coalition of international countries, she said.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi held talks with Meloni and said India and Italy have decided to elevate their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and opened a new chapter on defence cooperation.

India has abstained on the UN resolutions on Ukraine and consistently underlined the need to respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

India has also consistently underlined that in the conflict, the entire Global South has suffered “substantial collateral damage” and developing countries are facing the brunt of the conflict’s consequences on food, fuel and fertiliser supplies.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who proposed the vote of thanks, said that the Italian prime minister’s address was in line with theme of the conference — “Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest?”

“I think a lot of us, certainly in India, can see the lighthouse shine quite brightly. It is up to each of us whether we put the focus on the tempest or the lighthouse. We believe for all challenges in the world, there is leadership, vision and solutions,” Jaishankar said.