The war in Ukraine, the work for peace, but also the consequences of the European conflict on the Global South, nuclear proliferation, migrants, the economy. Different topics were addressed by the Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz in his dialogue with Marco Impagliazzo, President of Sant'Egidio, and with the participants of the Berlin meeting "The Audacity of Peace".
Without denying the German choice of supplying arms to Kiev ("a decision we do not take lightly"), the Chancellor affirmed Germany's negotiating work, which, while considering the Russian occupation of the east of the country to be unacceptable, "is developing the different aspects of the formula for peace in Ukraine and the principles for a peaceful solution" and openly encouraged Sant'Egidio to continue its humanitarian commitment with aid to Ukrainian refugees and talks for the exchange of prisoners: "often," Scholz further explained, "it is precisely this progress in the particular aspects that help to prepare the ground for an end to violence and for a just peace".
The Chancellor also emphasised how migrants have become a necessity for his country, without denying the need for a repatriation policy and some slowness in the system guaranteeing the right to asylum: "Germany has a great need for migrants, because the baby-boomer generation is approaching retirement" and he quantified the number of foreigners Germany will need by the end of the 2030s at 6-7 million.
Marco Impagliazzo described the work for peace and reconciliation of Sant'Egidio: "We are committed to looking at the future," explained the president of the Community, "to when peace will have returned and when it will be necessary to rebuild friendship and a shared sensibility in Europe. We are also concerned about the consequences that a long war is causing in the poor south of the world. This is why we call for a just peace with which to reconstruct the global security architecture put in crisis today by Russian aggression".
