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A Spaniard sent by NATO for the South, Italy furious

by AI | 22.Jul 2024 | Europe in brief AI

Rome had indicated that it was aiming for this position and in the meetings held with Jens Stoltenberg nothing suggested a choice in favor of Javier Colomina

The leaders participate in a working session during the NATO summit in Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Photo: Ting Shen - Pool via CNP / Zuma Press / ContactoPhoto

Brussels (ANSA) – An appointment too many that took everyone by surprise. The last move made in great haste by outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who chose Spaniard Javier Colomina as special representative for the countries of the southern flank, primarily those of the Mediterranean, sounds like a slight to Italy, which had worked on that strategically crucial position for a long time and was preparing to present its own candidate.

The government’s reaction – which in any case considers the decision made by the Atlantic Council last Tuesday and not yet formalized as interim – was not long in coming. “Strong doubts” about the appointment of Stoltenberg’s “personal” envoy just over two months before the end of his mandate were expressed by executive sources in Rome. And this while in Brussels it is recalled that the decision to appoint a NATO special envoy for the South was taken just last week at the Washington summit after a long preparatory phase.

In that context, Italy had clearly indicated it aimed for this role, and in meetings with Stoltenberg, nothing suggested such a rapid decision in favor of a Spaniard who was already Deputy Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the Alliance. In a letter sent to Stoltenberg by Italy’s permanent representative to NATO, Ambassador Marco Peronaci, it is stated that “the Italian authorities learned of the timing of the decision with great surprise and disappointment”.

And it is recalled that “to be effective, NATO’s policy towards the South requires a renewed approach, not a renaming”. The letter also highlights, without questioning the Secretary General’s prerogatives, “the lack of adequate consultation with allies” on such a strategic decision (July 19).