NATO underpins peace and global stability, says Italian President

Rome, July 4 (IANS/AKI) NATO is "a pillar of peace and global stability", Italy's President Sergio Mattarella said on Tuesday after meeting his Estonian counterpart Kersti Kaljulaid during an official visit to the Baltic state.

"We spoke of transatlantic relations ahead of the NATO summit (on July 11-12).

"We fully agreed on the need to reaffirm NATO's validity and solidity, which forms a pillar of peace and global stability," he said.

Like the European Union, NATO is the bedrock of Italy's foreign policy, Mattarella stressed.

"The security of Italy and all of NATO coincides with that of each of its members," he said.

In current times, maintaining security is "an historic challenge that can only be met through a shared vision, not by individual states acting alone," Mattarella added.

Italy's Premier Giuseppe Conte told reporters on Tuesday that he will attend the NATO summit in Brussels next week.

--IANS/AKI

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