Parliamentary speaker says cooperation in fight against terrorism ‘particularly important’ Calls for ‘commonly agreed strategy’ on migrants, saying ‘raising walls will not solve the issue’ ROME: Cooperation between Italy and Saudi Arabia in the fight against international terrorism has been praised by one of Italy’s key political figures who also called for the two countries to work closely together to deal with the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean as well as conflicts throughout the Middle East. In an exclusive interview with Arab News ahead of the G20 Rome Summit, the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico appealed for a “commonly agreed strategy” to manage the migrant and refugee issue, adding that Europe has an important role to play and “must provide a collective response.” Fico, 46, has presided over the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Italy’s bicameral Parliament, since 2018 and is one of the most powerful figures in the country’s political hierarchy. He is a leading voice in the Five Star Movement, the populist party founded by comedian Beppe Grillo that has played a central role in Italian coalition governments since 2018. During his time in office Fico has been a powerful advocate for human rights worldwide, economic sustainability, environmentally friendly policies, and common access to essentials such as clean drinking water. Fico told Arab News that he has high expectations of the G20 Rome Summit on Oct. 30-31, with Italy hosting the event after the 2020 forum was staged in Riyadh. “The opportunities for debate on a multilateral level are most important because they make it possible to address complex issues affecting the entire planet, and to do so by bringing together all the main players involved,” he said. A recent meeting of G20 parliamentary speakers that Fico co-chaired with Italian Senate President Elisabetta Casellati “confirmed the importance of debating these issues together and finding common solutions.” Fico said that he believed the G20 Summit will help Italy’s recovery from the social and economic effects of the global pandemic. “Italy has paid a very high price in human lives. The country is now in a recovery phase, but we still need to be very careful,” he said. “Italy has been hit hard and has reacted in an extraordinary manner. Now we need to work on the health front and, at the same time, on our economic and social recovery, as we are indeed doing with a package of reforms to implement the Next Generation EU plan.” Fico said relations between Italy and Saudi Arabia “have evolved in recent years, and cooperation in the area of anti-terrorism is particularly important.” He added: “I am convinced, however, that more can be done in the area of human and civil rights, and in the management of crises and conflicts in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.” Fico called for the global community to adopt “a commonly agreed strategy” to deal with the migrant crisis, with thousands of people risking their lives trying to reach Italy from Libya and Tunisia. Italy is on the frontline of the crisis, he said, but Europe has a key role to play. “It must provide a collective response, hopefully with a single voice, to meet both the challenge of receiving them and, above all, the challenge of cooperation,” he added. “No one can think of solving a problem as vast and complex as migration by raising walls. We need to devise solutions that are consistent with international law, and jointly agreed with the countries of origin and transit, in order to ensure the orderly management of migration flows.” He also called for “a commitment to block foreign influence on the electoral process that the Libyans want and are working on.”