European Union (EU) has said, it hopes that Italy and India would find a mutually acceptable solution to the escalating dispute over Italy's decision not to return to India two marines for trial on murder charges.
A spokesperson for Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief said, "The EU is taking note of the ongoing discussions between India and Italy and continues to hope that a mutually acceptable solution can be found through negotiation".
India is downgrading its diplomatic ties with Italy after it refused to return the two marines Massimilano Latorre and Salvatore Girone to stand trial for the killing of two fishermen off India's southwest coast in February 2012.
India has instructed its ambassador-designate Basant Kumar Gupta not to go to Rome, meaning there will be no ambassador-level representation between the two countries.
India's Supreme Court has already slapped a temporary travel ban on Italian ambassador, Daniele Mancini to not to leave India.
In its letter to the Italian ambassador, the Supreme Court said Mancini violated a sworn declaration he presented in February that Italy would return the marines.
Latorre and Girone were allowed back home to Italy to vote in the national elections.
The marines face trial by a special Indian court for shooting and killing two Indian fishermen, Jelestine Valentine and Ajesh Binki, while guarding an Italian oil tanker off the coast of Kerala.
The Italian government claims India does not have jurisdiction in the case as the incident took place in international waters.
(with inputs from IANS)
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