Syria: Chargé d’Affaires of the Italian Embassy arrives in Damascus
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday, on X, appointing the new ambassador to Damascus, where Stefano Ravagnan will head the Italian diplomatic mission in Syria as Chargé d’Affaires.
According to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ravagnan expressed his understanding of the scale of the challenges facing Syria, but pointed to the role that Italy can play in supporting the Syrian people.
Ravagnan said, “I start my work in Damascus with enthusiasm, and I know that Italy can offer a lot”.
He added, “I can count on a strong network that includes many NGOs that have been working in Syria for years, as well as archaeological missions that have continued their work… I am also proud of the friendship I have for the Syrian people”.
Ambassador Ravagnan previously worked in the Italian Foreign Ministry as a special envoy for the Syrian crisis, and participated in the US-led “international coalition” to fight ISIS.
The Italian embassy in Damascus was evacuated in 2012, but was never officially closed.
The charge d’affaires ran diplomatic missions from the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Last July, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that the appointment of a new ambassador was in line with Italy’s diplomatic efforts to improve relations with Syria and shed light on the situation there.
Italy, along with seven other EU countries (Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia), also sent a letter to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressing its concern about the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Syria, and calling on the EU to play a more active role in the Syrian crisis.
In a statement published on the Italian Foreign Ministry website, it called on European countries to re-evaluate relations with Syria and appoint a special EU envoy to coordinate this relationship and work with the Syrian embassy in Brussels.
