Renzi: “Engineers will give their contributions into the Central African Republic.”

During the EU – Africa summit, the Italian Prime Minister said that our Engineer Corps will operate following “the logic of development and cooperation.” Dealing with the case of the adoptions of Congolese children, he said he would call the Congolese President, who did not participate the summit, because “the issue must be resolved.”

When we talk about the operation involving the Engineer Corps of the Italian army into the Central African Republic, we need to remember that “it is not a military contribution, it is the contribution those engineers are going to offer in reference to the logic of development and cooperation.” Hence, “the mission is framed within the international community and the relations we have with the international community,” explained to the press Matteo Renzi, the Italian Prime Minister, after the first day of the EU – Africa Summit in Brussels.

Renzi said he had several bilateral meetings, with Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique and Angola, and that “unfortunately the Congolese President was not at the Summit, I wish he was here to talk about the issue of the adoptions,” yet “the Undersecretary has talked with the Foreign Minister of Congo and I will call the President shortly to solve the situation.”

Renzi has also met the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, and they talked about the case of the Italian riflemen detained in India. “We call for the issue to be discussed properly, into the international institutions,” said Renzi, “and this is a due a legitimate request,” because Italy is also “the first among the western Member States for the number of Peacekeepers, the seventh financial supporter of the UN, and leads a mission in Lebanon; in addition, we made ourselves available for several crucial initiatives.”

Hence, according to Renzi, “we do not need to ask a preferential treatment, we need to draw the international attention” on the case of the Italian riflemen, and “we must be sure rules are respected.”

 A. B.