Italy appointing of an ambassador in Syria
Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said on Friday Italy had decided to appoint an ambassador to Syria to shine a spotlight on it, making it the first of the G7 major industrialized nations to resume its diplomatic mission in Damascus since a civil war rocked the country.
Italy summoned all staff from its embassy in Damascus in 2012 and suspended diplomatic activity in Syria in protest at the “unacceptable violence” by Syrian president Bashar al Assad’s government.
The Italian foreign ministry’s current special envoy to Syria Stefano Ravagnan has been announced as ambassador, as he will start his duties very soon.
Last week, Italy and seven other EU countries sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell asking the bloc to play a more active role in Syria.
“Syrians are still leaving in large numbers, increasing pressure on neighboring countries at a time of heightened tension in the region, threatening new waves of refugees, the letter signed by Italy, Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia.
They say that Syria’s humanitarian situation, which had deteriorated further as its economy was in a deplorable state.
Borrell has tasked the European External Action Service to study what can be done, meanwhile Italy’s appointing a new ambassador was in line with the message that Italy and other EU countries sent to Borrell, in order to shed a spotlight on Syria, according to the Italian foreign ministry.
Six embassies of EU countries are currently open in Damascus: Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Hungary, while the rest of the G7 countries — the United States, Japan, Britain, Canada, France and Germany — have yet to reappoint ambassadors to Syria.
