EU has neglected the Mediterranean region, Italy's Renzi charges

Rome (dpa) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi criticized Thursday the European Union for having neglected the Mediterranean region with its focus so much on eastern Europe over the past few years."In these years Europe passed up a chance," Renzi said at the opening in Rome of the three-day MED 2015 conference on the Mediterranean region."Because it has expanded eastwards, in the end it did not pay any attention to the Mediterranean, he said. "With its view to the east, it lost interest in the Mediterranean."Topics at the conference include economic cooperation and security in the Mediterranean region, as well as the refugee crisis. Renzi stressed the importance of culture in the fight against terrorism."It is the immune system of our society against fanaticism," the Italian leader said.Renzi said absolute top priority had to be given to destroying the Islamic State extremist group. But strategies were needed and not "last-minute solutions," he said.The conference, co-hosted by Italy and the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), brings together more than 150 participants, the most prominent among them being Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.