On 26 September 2012, the President of the Council of Ministers, Mario Monti, intervened at the 67th Session of the U.N. General Assembly. Mr. Monti addressed, inter alia, the issue of piracy, which has important implications for Italy in light of the Enrica Lexie case and the ongoing controversy with India. After observing that piracy “is particularly troubling for its impact on the world economy and on the lives of seafarers”, Mr. Monti stated:

International efforts to protect sea lanes and fight piracy can be effective only if all nations cooperate in good faith, according to the established rules of the international customary law and UN conventions, including those protecting the jurisdiction of the flag State in international waters.

[…]

Any erosion of the sending State’s exclusive jurisdiction over servicemen on official duty would jeopardize the status of our agents on international missions. Consequently, it would also undermine the sustainability of UN peacekeeping missions.

The full statement of Mr. Monti before the General Assembly can be found here.