Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a call with his counterpart in Italy Giorgia Meloni on October 20 while returning from his two-day trip to capitals in the Middle East, said an official statement.
He updated Prime Minister Meloni on his meetings with regional leaders over the past two days, the release from the PM’s Office added.
Incidentally, the two premiers share a special rapport which was evident in a joint ‘op-ed’ in The Times recently. In the article, they affirmed their collaborative efforts to prevent the entry of thousands of migrants into Europe.
“In fact, we are two of the closest friends in Europe today,” the two leaders wrote.
In their conversation, the leaders agreed on the need to work together to stop terrorism, protect civilian life and avoid the situation evolving into a wider regional conflict.
They said they would stay in contact in the days and weeks ahead to coordinate diplomatic efforts.
During his tour to the Middle East, PM Sunak met Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on October 19. Then he flew to Saudi Arabia to meet the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, followed by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
On October 20, he met the President of Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and thereafter, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in Cairo separately.
PM Sunak carried the message that global leaders should do everything possible to avoid a contagion of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the region and that every effort must be made to stop terrorism and protect civilians.
