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Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio met his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Rome on Monday, both calling for united action to help revive the European economy in the wake of the pandemic.
This is the first face-to-face meeting between the two ministers since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe, and both stressed the need for cooperation among European countries on all fronts.
"Italy is grateful for Germany's help during the crisis," Di Maio said, noting that Germany sent 44 flights of medical aid to Italy during the darkest period of the coronavirus outbreak.
Germany also treated many Italian patients suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, at a time when many Italian hospitals were operating at full capacity. The final two Italian patients recovering in German hospitals returned home to Italy only last week, Italian officials said Monday.
Both diplomats wore masks for a press briefing after the talks, with Maas' mask featuring German and Italian flags stitched onto it.
"This crisis must be addressed jointly," said Maas. "No country will be able to relaunch its economy if its neighbor does not emerge from the crisis."
Maas brushed aside speculation that the coronavirus crisis revealed weaknesses between European Union member states.
"If we manage to overcome our old divisions and build on the cohesion and solidarity of the last several weeks, Europe will emerge from the crisis stronger than before," he said.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
