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P. F. Casini: Address to World Summit 2022, Plenary Session V
Written by Hon. Pier Ferdinando Casini, Senator; President, Italian Chamber of Deputies (2001-2006); Honorary Chair, Inter-Parliamentary Union
Friday, February 11, 2022
Address to World Summit
February 11-13, 2022
Dear leaders, dear colleagues, it is a privilege for me to take part in the “Summit for Peace on the Korean Peninsula” in such a significant venue.
The sensitive issue of Korean reunification is a time-honored, perfect example of the difficult political coexistence of two opposing views. On the one hand, there are those who focus on actual reality, balance of power, hard facts; on the other hand are those who look beyond the status quo and, guided by ideal aspirations, optimistically consider a possible change.
The statement concluding the historic inter-Korean summit of April 27, 2018, issued by both leaders, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in in the symbolic city of Panmunjom, committed both sides to work vigorously to improve North-South relations and establish deeper cooperation through dialogue and high-level negotiations. No doubt, this was a big step forward in the direction of peace, prosperity, and reunification of the peninsula.
That meeting, I remember vividly, generated great expectations in the international community and, may I say, also within the Interparliamentary Union, which invited both parties to continue the dialogue at a high level.
The fact that the two Koreas, despite ups and downs in their relations, are not at peace, but neither are they at war, continues to leave the door open to the transformation of the armistice into a veritable peace treaty.
We are well aware that it is not an easy path. Important issues still remain on the table, and at a strategic level, this is a question that closely affects all regional powers in the area. For decades, North Korea and South Korea have experienced a physical frontier between two worlds and two systems of alliances, with different economic, cultural, political, and military systems, with generations having grown up with the idea that beyond the 38th parallel there was a fearsome enemy.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us once again how inevitable is the interdependence of States, how necessary it is to resort to the concept of solidarity and how decisive cooperation with the international community with a view to the prosperity of peoples and peace is.
As the constant commitment of UPF, which has never given up on the idea of a Korean peninsula free from internal borders, has shown us, strengthening the spirit of collaboration is the best political investment for profitable dialogue now and for a concrete solution in the near future.
Thank you very much and accept my warmest wishes for a most fruitful meeting!
To go to the World Summit 2022 Schedule page, click here.