Your Excellency, Mr. President, you are extremely welcome to United Nations Headquarters in New York. 

Italy is a fundamental pillar of multilateralism and an exemplary partner of the United Nations. 

In all areas of our activities, Italy is always present.  Present in peacekeeping operations, present in sustainable development, present in climate action, present in human rights and the rule of law, that I know is an area of particular interest to you, Mr. President. 

And, I believe it is very important to say it at a moment in which Italy assumes the Presidency of the G7.  Italy has a rich history and Italy is a country of the north that understands the south.  And it has always been a bridge between north and south. 

And that bridge is now more necessary than ever when we live in a world that is so divided, with geo-political divides that are creating so many difficulties in all areas of human activity, from climate to artificial intelligence to peace and security, it is very important to have Italy leading the G7 and being able to lead the reform of our multinational institutions that were created after the Second World War and that no longer represent the realities of today’s world. 
The capacity of Italy to dialogue, not only with its fellow members of the G7, but with the world at large, is something that will be very important for us, especially when we are preparing our Summit of the Future. 

I receive you Mr. President in a moment of great concern.

I made today a very strong appeal to the government of Israel and to the leadership of the Hamas in order to go an extra mile to materialize an agreement that is absolutely vital.

This is an opportunity that cannot be missed.

A ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences and because of its destabilizing impact in the region.

And this is another reason to be grateful to Italy: 1,081 Italian soldiers are in UNIFIL. And they are in UNIFIL in extremely dangerous circumstances, with the professionalism and courage that I wanted to underline today that not only represents a generous contribution of Italy to the world, but it represents the demonstration of the very strong commitment of Italy with the UN, with multilateralism and with peace.

Mr. President, welcome. You are at home, you are among friends.

It is an enormous pleasure for me to receive you.