“I would first of all like to thank you, Prime Minister, for this initiative, for this hospitality and for your constant involvement in bringing to the forefront of the agenda the relationship not only between Italy, but also between the European Union and the African continent . I also pay tribute to the tireless effort and experience of Minister Tajani in this context” the President of the European Council immediately said, Charles Michelin his speech at Italy-Africa summit in Rome.
“The principle of a partnership between equals, mutually beneficial, where everyone brings their part with sincerity, gives their contribution and free consent. Free consent which is the counterpart of responsibility. In two words respect and trust. Respect creates trust and trust creates respect” added Michel. “On the European side, we clearly hear the message sent by our African friends. We wish be in exchange and listening to each other, in listening to arguments, points of view that sometimes are not spontaneously the same, on the same starting point, because we think this is understanding and listening. Even when we do not spontaneously share the same opinion, we can build solutions together that contribute to this spirit of cooperation”, added the President of the European Council. “The Mattei Plan is based on this paradigm” highlighted Michel, underlining that from this point of view the Mattei Plan fits perfectly into the spirit of the last EU-Africa summit in Brussels.
Relations with Africa must be accompanied by “concrete projects and constant evaluation”, on different priorities: “security and peace”, “prosperity” for the development of the continent and “mobility and migration, with a commitment to the root causes and legal channels to combat criminal groups” he concluded.