Italian Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani warned on Thursday against the consequences of resorting to a military solution to the coup crisis in Niger, urging for a European diplomatic role that does not appear colonial.
"In Niger and Gabon there is a situation of instability with a series of military coups with a domino effect," Tajani said during his participation in the Gymnich meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Toledo, Spain, reported by the Italian News Agency (ANSA).
"A military intervention would create new complications and increase migration flows," Tajani mentioned, adding that they must work day after day to reach a diplomatic solution, expressing appreciation for the Algerian mediation proposals in this regard.
"We continue to call for a diplomatic solution, in which Europe is present but never gives the impression of being a new coloniser," he continued, adding that the efforts by Algeria to mediate in the Niger crisis sparked by a military coup in late July were "welcomed." "We will evaluate the sanctions in Niger, but we need a diplomatic solution that does not appear to be anti-African. As always, great caution is needed," he pointed out.
Europe must invest more in the African continent in the areas of education, growth and industry, he stated.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
