Italys' deputy foreign minister Marina Sereni will visit Ethiopia as part of efforts to end the deadly 15-month conflict in the north of the country and get the warring sides to "dialogue with Europe", she said on Wednesday.
"I am preparing a trip to the Ethiopia, because I think there is a need to support the sides and to encourage them to cease their hostilities and to seek dialogue with Europe," Sereni said.
Italy "has particular ties to the Horn of Africa", Sereni noted.
Sereni made the remarks on the sidelines of a conference in Brussels, where she is attending a crucial European Union-African Union summit taking place on Thursday and Friday.
"Fifty African leaders are due to take part in this very important summit, which could mark a turning point...the passage from donor to partner," she said.
"It's no longer about what we do for Africa but what we do with Africa," Sereni underlined.
Sereni said instability and crises affecting parts of the African continent are also on the agenda at the summit, at which COVID-19 inoculation and industrialisation are expected to be hot-button issues.
