VIDEO South African Minister Botes: “Italy is committed to shared prosperity”

The interview on the sidelines of the G7 Development in Pescara. We talk about the Mattei Plan and also about "peace diplomacy" for Ukraine

PESCARA – Italy is doing well, pursuing the interests of Western powers but opening up to the world, keeping as its horizon that of “shared prosperity”: this is the judgment on the year of the G7 presidency given by Alvin Botes, South Africa’s deputy minister for international relations and cooperation. The occasion for the statements is an interview in Pescara, the host city this week of the ministerial forum dedicated to “development”.

ALSO LOOKING AT AFRICA

“We recognize the leadership and vision of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is now president of the G7” Botes emphasizes. “Italy has established shared prosperity as a priority and in addition to looking at how to support its own industrialization, it has committed to supporting mechanisms capable of promoting the industrialization of Africa”. The interview talks about the near future. “We have seen that among the priorities of the Italian agenda of the G7 there is the issue of sustainable development, which for us as African countries is crucial” Botes underlines. “I am thinking of the achievement of the 17 objectives of the 2030 Agenda“. According to the vice-minister, the fact that also in Pescara the “interconnection of development at an international level” was recognized is important. Botes emphasizes: “This shows how Italy sees its role in the world, both with respect to the most advanced countries and with respect to developing countries and Africa”.

BRICS: “GOOD MEETING BETWEEN GUTERRES AND PUTIN, NOW DIPLOMACY”

The meeting in Kazan between the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, and Vladimir Putin, President of Russia and at the same time of the BRICS group, can favor “a diplomacy of peace”: this is what Alvin Botes, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, told the Dire agency. His is one of the member countries of the alliance, founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China and expanded this year to include new states, from the United Arab Emirates to Ethiopia. The occasion of the meeting between Guterres and Putin, today in the city of Kazan, is a BRICS summit. “The meeting should be welcomed, because Putin, as president of Russia and the alliance, will be able to address issues of cooperation in the field of security and peace diplomacy” Botes emphasizes. “We support this type of dialogue: South Africa defends peace diplomacy, which must be supported by greater mediation efforts”.