Beirut – For the Middle East “this is a delicate time, and Europe must look more in this direction. In Italy, there’s an ongoing debate on the 150.000 people who more or less safely reached our shores. This is a number that shouldn’t be underestimated, but there are some parties that want to build the controversy and say that we’re facing an invasion. Well, to them I’d like to say that Lebanon, a country that is 15 times smaller than Italy and has 4 million inhabitants, welcomes 1.5 million refugees – in a great show of human values and extraordinary sense of civility. The number is ten times higher than the people who reached Italy this year.” The man speaking is Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, after a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Tammam Salam in Beirut. “This does not mean we should turn a blind eye, we need to work and do our best to remove the root of the problem. This means finding the conditions in Syria to overcome the extraordinary crisis we are experiencing” continues Renzi, who then explains the reason behind his visit to Lebanon: “Italy is here to confirm a historic friendship, and its support in international cooperation,” not only “those related to the development of defense and oil and gas, but also in education.” (9Colonne)
