News item | 18-03-2022 | 08:20
Minister Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs will visit Rome on Friday 18 March. There he will speak with his Italian colleagues Luigi Di Maio and Secretary of State for European Affairs Vicenzo Amendola.
Cooperation between the Netherlands and Italy
The visit focuses on the war in Ukraine, the related refugee flow and the importance of unity within the EU and NATO in the message to Russia. The ministers also discussed bilateral and cross-border challenges such as energy, migration and climate. The Netherlands and Italy are close partners and work together in many areas, such as strengthening the internal market and encouraging an ambitious European climate policy.
Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil
The minister will also visit the sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great. The Order is part of the Catholic Church of the Eastern Rite and is committed to education and care, among other things. There he will listen to the sisters’ stories and experiences. The more than one hundred sisters of the Order in Ukraine have remained in their posts to support the population. They are also working from Poland to receive refugees, with special attention to the most vulnerable.