Press statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra, Rome, 18 March 2022
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Signore e Signori,
È un piacere per me ritrovarmi qui in Italia, specialmente a Roma, la città in cui ho abitato nel 2000, anno del Giubileo.
Da giovane, ho avuto il piacere di visitare l'Italia viaggiando: da Verona a Napoli, e da Venezia all’Isola d’Elba.
Ho chiesto a mia moglie di sposarmi in Sicilia, e spero di mostrare presto ai nostri figli Roma e tutta la storia che questa città racchiude.
Amo la cultura, la lingua, il cibo e il calcio dell'Italia.
Venire qui mi dà sempre la sensazione di un ritorno a casa.
Signore e Signori,
Venti anni fa ho imparato un po' d'italiano. La lingua è molto bella ma l'ho un po' dimenticata. Spero quindi che mi consentirete di proseguire in inglese.
Today Italy remembers those who lost their lives to COVID-19.
I would like to join you in remembering them.
Your country was hit exceptionally hard by this terrible pandemic.
But you have shown admirable resilience throughout this crisis, and strong leadership in recovery.
The ambitious and detailed Italian post-COVID recovery plan is an important milestone on the road to a broader European recovery.
The way Italy designed and implemented its recovery plan is an example to us all.
This morning, Minister Di Maio and I spoke at length about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Putin’s act of aggression casts a long shadow over Europe.
The shadow of aggression, autocracy, and a darker world.
In standing up for freedom, for democracy, and for human rights, Ukrainians are also standing up for European values.
Ukraine is a member of the European family.
We must stand by their side, and do what we can to help them.
We also spoke about the future of Europe.
Italy and the Netherlands are both founding members of the European Union.
The treaty establishing the European Economic Community was signed here in Rome, 65 years ago this month.
Our two countries also share a long tradition of standing up for international law and justice.
The European Convention of Human Rights and the Rome Statute were signed here in Rome.
They established the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court.
These institutions embody the ideal of justice.
Now that international law itself is under fire, we need them more than ever.
Europe finds itself in the middle of a geopolitical storm, and we need to stand together.
We are united by our common history, by our common European heritage, and by our common values.
On these strong foundations, we must now build an even stronger European Union.
As founding fathers, our two countries must now take this opportunity to propel Europe forward.
To stand united, and to face the challenges of our time.
Thank you.