Quirinale Palace, 01/06/2025 (II mandato)
I would like to thank M° Riccardo Frizza and the Orchestra of the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, who will soon offer us a fascinating artistic moment.
I also wish to extend my greetings to those who will follow this concert through radio, TV and the web.
It is a great pleasure - together with the Presidents of Italy's constitutional bodies - to welcome, on this occasion of celebration for Italy, the Ambassadors accredited to the Quirinale.
Your attendance bears witness to the bonds and intense dialogue that unite our countries within a world order based on a network of positive relationships among nations.
Tomorrow, 2nd of June, we celebrate the birth of our Republic, the result of a choice of peace, freedom and independence, in a spirit of rejection of violence among countries.
That vote of the Italian people gave birth to our Constitution, an ‘ambitious’ Constitution in that it identifies peace and cooperation in international relations as the vocation of the Republic. A choice that the European integration process has strengthened and consolidated.
The rejection of the notion of ‘enemy’, a vocation to dialogue, the repudiation of war as an instrument of aggression against the freedom of other peoples, the promotion of international organisations fostering peace and justice, have been and still are the hallmark of the choices made by the Republic of Italy in its 79 years of existence.
Peace is at the very heart of our shared focus.
There are so many sad scenarios of conflict.
Our thoughts turn first to Ukraine, which for more than three years has been strenuously resisting the aggression of the Russian Federation. While reasserting our firm and unwavering support for Kyiv, we will continue to work for a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace.
The Middle East, after Hamas’ bloody attack against defenseless Israeli victims, with hostages - heinously kidnapped and still withheld – who must be immediately released, is experiencing the tragedy under way in Gaza.
The refusal to implement humanitarian law for the citizens of Gaza is unacceptable.
An immediate ceasefire is imperative.
In any case, it is indispensable that the Israeli Army makes the Gaza Strip accessible to the action of international bodies, thus allowing the resumption of full-fledged humanitarian assistance to the people. It is inhuman to let an entire population, including children and the elderly, face hunger.
The erosion of territories attributed to the Palestinian Authority is a matter of grave concern. Palestinians have a right to their home within certain borders.
This outlook and Israel’s security – both irrenounceable – are seriously threatened by the seeds of sorrow and rancour sown by ongoing events.
Let me also express my deep concern for the signs of anti-Semitism resurfacing around the world.
From the territory of Europe to the Middle East - and everywhere, in any other continent – the illegal occupation of territories of another country cannot be explained as a security measure: this entails the risk of embarking on the path of the will to dominate, of barbarism in international life.
In many places of the world there emerge scenarios of instability, fed by the violence and confrontation that, to some, seem to have become the standard in international relations.
Peace is not an ideal for naïve souls, destined to be crushed by the stern judgement of history.
Peace is an experience patiently built by far-sighted statesmen: we need to pursue and advance their work. We must not – indeed we cannot – confine ourselves to merely evoking it.
Strong efforts are called for so that the principles of a loyal international cooperation and peaceful coexistence can prevail, thanks to dialogue and progressively stronger confidence-building measures.
The world order we have known over the past decades appears to have been undermined. Rules are bound to evolve but a reference framework, a global order, based on mutual respect and acknowledgement, is essential to avert conflicts and allocate assets and resources to address the epochal challenges confronting humankind, thus achieving shared sustainable development.
On this day of celebration, let me express the strong hope that each of our countries will do its share to restore a future of serenity to the peoples of the world, above all to the benefit of the younger generations.
With this pledge, let me extend to all of you the wishes of the Italian Republic.