"I'm not going into the American election campaign, obviously I don't agree with what candidate Trump said." On the sidelines of a press conference in the Chamber of Deputies, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani responded to Donald Trump's remarks ("I would encourage Russia to attack NATO countries that do not pay"). "We remain friends and allies of the United States, regardless of who becomes president tomorrow. What interests us is the transatlantic strategic connection, which is a guiding star in our foreign policy as the EU." According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, "there is a fundamental issue, which is that of European defense; we have been emphasizing for years on the necessity for an army and a European defence policy that is an inherent component of a European foreign policy. This is the key; in order to count in NATO, we must be credible, and Europe is credible if it has a genuine foreign and defense strategy. It's the best approach to signal the US that we're here, in NATO, and believe in it, but we're on the same page".
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