President Sergio Mattarella on Monday
sounded the alarm about an upswing in nationalism as he
addressed the 17th States General of Diplomacy conference, which
is taking place at the foreign ministry in Rome.
"We are faced with the paradox of an increasingly
interconnected, interdependent global society going through a
phase in which the sirens of nationalistic and ethnic
sectarianism are once again appearing with their stale recipes,"
the head of State said.
"Deep divisions and fractures are multiplying".
The president also warned of the threat posed by non-State
actors.
"One wonders what place diplomacy has in this context, with
respect to attitudes and forces - including of a non-state
nature - that aim to undermine the framework of norms and
principles established to ensure stable and orderly interactions
among members of the international community, according to
recognised rules valid for all," Mattarella said.
"This is not the first time in history that states have been
challenged in their ability to pursue and guarantee the
interests of peoples and, therefore, of their citizens. "This is
a issue that appears to be of renewed topicality in the face of
international operators who are free of any homeland, whose
financial power now exceeds that of medium-sized states and
whose management of essential services often verges on
monopolistic status".
He also talked about the manipulative use of information.
"Globalisation and digitalisation have made the world much more
interconnected and interdependent," Mattarella said.
"This has benefited mutual knowledge and, at the same time,
attempts by some governments to block information flows and
relations between citizens of various countries or to negatively
affect them through hostile means of manipulating information
and influencing opinion have emerged once again'
Mattarella stressed that the Italian Constitution guarantees the
"right to asylum for a foreigner who is prevented from
exercising democratic freedoms in their country".
He also stressed the need for the Palestinian people to have a
State of their own.
"Pursuing the objective of Palestinian statehood means offering
the people of the West Bank and Gaza a goal of justice and a
convincing prospect of hope for their future, which is also an
indispensable condition for a final solid guarantee of security
for Israel," he said.
"It will be necessary to accompany the definition of the State
that will arise from the new situation in Syria with similar
tenacity, both politically and in terms of the humanitarian
consequences"
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