The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio today in Rome. Secretary Blinken thanked Foreign Minister Di Maio for Italy’s leadership of the G20 this year and previewed the U.S.-Italy Strategic Dialogue plenary in Washington on November 10. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Di Maio reaffirmed support for a sovereign, stable, unified, and secure Libya with no foreign interference and a democratically elected government. They expressed shared concern about the political security and humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia, including Eritrea’s ongoing destabilizing military presence in that region. They also discussed joint efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis as well as a shared approach to Tunisia and the Sahel.