U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday praised the role Italy is playing in efforts to stop conflicts in the Mideast spiraling out of control.
"Italy is playing a crucial role for de-escalation in the Mideast," Blinken told a press conference at the end of the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Capri. "And we have seen how important this engagement has been over the last 10 days, two weeks, to keep things calm and avoid escalation and a wider conflict," he said. "It is a leading country that is engaged with many other countries in the world that have direct relations with the Middle East," Blinken said. The G7 meeting ended Friday with a meeting of the foreign ministers from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and the U.S., with a summit to be held next week in Italy. The meeting is expected to be followed by a G7 summit in Sicily in September.