Italy, Qatar champion diplomacy amid regional volatility, says envoy

Italy’s ambassador to Qatar, Paolo Toschi, has emphasised that Italy and Qatar are firmly united in their commitment to fostering diplomacy and stability across a volatile Middle East and beyond."And in a volatile time for the region and beyond, our two countries are definitely united in saying that the voice of diplomacy must prevail,” stated Toschi, who underscored the deep alignment between Rome and Doha on critical geopolitical issues during an exclusive interview with Gulf Times.A cornerstone of this partnership is Qatar’s significant mediation efforts, which Italy "supports very strongly,” noted Toschi, who underscored Doha’s central role in "efforts of dialogue and peaceful resolution of disputes” in addressing stability and prosperity regionally and globally.Both countries’ close collaboration is reflected in high-level discussions, including recent contacts between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, as well as between HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani and Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, Toschi pointed out.The ambassador stressed that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a central theme that calls for much-needed aid and global intervention. "Civilians in Gaza have suffered way too much; they continue to suffer every day. And the ceasefire and an agreement on delivering aid, freeing all prisoners, must happen immediately,” Toschi said.He also confirmed Italy’s full support for the ongoing negotiations in Doha: "Italy applauds the efforts made with the negotiations. We want them to be successful. The mediators have our full endorsement, and we want to see diplomacy prevail.”Italy has also been a significant contributor to humanitarian efforts in Gaza, explained Toschi, who revealed that "Italy is the country that has welcomed the most Palestinians coming from Gaza after Qatar and Egypt.”He said, "We have over 150 children who were wounded in Gaza that are being cured in Italian hospitals. Their families and relatives, around a thousand people in total, are now in our country.”In terms of food aid, Toschi said Italy has specifically implemented an initiative called ‘Food for Gaza’, a programme by the Italian government, in collaboration with UN agencies that are responsible for food.While acknowledging the immense challenges, Toschi noted its remarkable success in delivering immediate assistance. "Clearly, this is just a drop in the ocean in the face of a vast humanitarian crisis,” he stated, "but Italy has been and continues to be very committed to doing its part as a humanitarian player, and so is Qatar.”Toschi also spoke about Italy’s role in broader regional and international cooperation. Beyond Gaza, the ambassador outlined shared stances on several other critical regional issues.He stated that "Italy and Qatar also work on the same line of support for Lebanon.” Furthermore, he explained that both nations "see eye to eye on the need to rebuild Syria and to give Syria relief from sanctions.”"Italy also supports discussions on the Iranian nuclear programme. And in the context of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Italy supports the mediation between Ukraine and Russia,” Toschi pointed out, adding that Rome is set to host the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2025) on July 10 to 11, "with Qatar’s participation valued very much.”Toschi also underscored the importance of multilateral engagements, citing the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, co-hosted by Ethiopia and Italy, where "we also count on important Qatari participation.”Addressing the role of non-state actors, Toschi highlighted Italy’s non-governmental sector, describing it as "a very vibrant part of our community, active both domestically and internationally.”He stressed their importance, particularly in humanitarian efforts, noting that "non-governmental organisations are very well equipped to be close to the citizen, to the individual, and to operate even in difficult circumstances internationally.”