The COVID-19 pandemic this year has compounded unresolved problems in the region, Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio told the Mediterranean Dialogues forum on Wednesday.
"The direct and indirect repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic have suddenly added to and worsened a series of critical longstanding issues in the Mediterranean," Di Maio said in opening remarks to the virtual forum.
Over 40 events are scheduled at the 2020 Mediterranean Dialogues forum 'The Future of the Mediterranean after the Pandemic'. The event is taking place through next week under the auspices of Italy's foreign ministry and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI).
Italy's premier Giuseppe Conte is due to close the conference on 4 December.