Italy: Speed up Western Balkan integration, we're too late

Resume Italy's role in the Balkans, starting in Trieste, a “natural” to the East. Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tayan has thus said in an interview regarding the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union.

Tayan has said that the region's integration process has been delayed too long, so all it takes is to stop pushing it, but to accelerate it. According to him, one of the main roads is the Trieste Summit, which will be held on 24 January in Italy.

Trieste's conference is the starting point for the resumption of Italy's action in the Western Balkans. The government considers this objective an absolute priority and aims to track it with a structured approach, including all components of the Italian system. Let's start from Trieste because this territory has always been the bridge that unites Italy and the Balkan region”Taani said.

Asked how you imagine Italy's role in the Balkans for the coming years, Italy's Foreign Minister said Italai should play a leading role that will serve the Balkans in co-operation and dialogue.

“Italia must play a leading role, aiming to be located as a platform for dialogue and co-operation with the Balkans, a facilitator of regional reconciliation and its EU integration. The government's commitment is to work concretely in this direction by promoting concrete co-operation projects between our realities, above all those productive ones, and the Balkan world”, the foreign minister said.