ROME - The Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, has summoned the UAE’s Ambassador in Italy, Omar Al Shamsi, to the Farnesina after a plane full of Italian journalists blocked from flying over UAE air space, having to wait for three hours in an airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on their way to Herat in Afghanistan.

  The 40 Italian journalists were on their way to Herat, following the Minister of Defence, Lorenzo Guerini, for the ceremony of the lowering of the flag at Italy’s military base as the last of the troops prepare to leave after 20 years of military presence in Afghanistan.

  Despite the pre-approved flight plan, the UAE decided to revoke their authorisation for the plane to travel through their air space. The move caused much diplomatic outrage and was no doubt unhelpful to the already icy relations between Italy and the UAE after Italy announced their decision in January to block all exports of arms to the small Gulf state - a decision for which this is perhaps retaliation.

  On behalf of Di Maio, the Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry, Ettore Sequi, summoned the Emirati Ambassador to the Farnesina. He said in a statement, "the secretary general expressed to the ambassador his surprise and strong disappointment in the unexpected gesture that is hard to understand.”

  Guerini said to journalists in Herat, "I’m sorry for the inconvenience you suffered on your flight to get here. It is a question of a diplomatic nature with respect to decisions that had been made and guaranteed.”

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