ITALY REPUBLIC DAY 2024, Festa della Repubblica: Message from H.E. MS. Marilina Armellin Ambassador of Italy to Pakistan

Today, June 2nd, Italy celebrates the 78th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic. After my arrival in Islamabad in January, it is my first National Day in Pakistan, and I would like to thank all those who conveyed messages of warmth and goodwill on this auspicious occasion. I take it as a testimony to the profound friendship that binds our two Countries.

Indeed, Italy and Pakistan enjoy long-standing bilateral relations that are much more diverse and dense than I could even think of before my appointment. I am privileged to represent Italy in this friendly Country and strategic partner in a geography that is complex but vital for the world’s political, economic and demographic prospects.

During my tenure, I intend to further harness the vast potential of growth that our relationship offers in many fields: political, multilateral, economic, military, scientific, cultural, developmental, and educational. The bilateral strategic partnership has all reasons to be scaled up and to include consultations and exchange of visits at the highest political level.

Each of the two countries benefits in the other from a capital of sympathy and consideration that naturally accrues from the large and industrious Pakistani community that lives in Italy, the largest in the European Union, with its many entrepreneurs, researchers, students and workers. The Pakistani diaspora valuably contributes not only to the host communities, mostly in Northern and Central Italy, but also to its native Country by a high volume of remittances, about 680 million euros per year, according to the Central Bank of Italy. Italy is the top source of migrant remittances to Pakistan within the EU and the seventh largest globally, as per data of the State Bank of Pakistan.

Amongst the low-hanging fruits to expand our bilateral cooperation, certainly trade comes first to the mind.

With a view to further strengthening the bilateral commercial ties, Italy has established at the end of 2023 the Italian Trade Agency Office in Islamabad and appointed a Trade Commissioner. The idea is to boost business-to-business interactions and explore first-hand the avenues of closer collaboration.

In fact, the Italian economic system is today looking closely at Asia. In particular, Pakistan has no less potential than other neighboring countries, and the Italian business community is starting to take notice. The modernization of productive sectors, mechanization, agricultural resilience, and energy generation are often mentioned to me.

Machinery is a sector showing unquestionable Italian leadership on a global scale, especially in its flexibility and ability to be customized to the specific needs of end users. We are facilitating an increased level of participation of Pakistani business women and men in the many Italian sector fairs and exposing Pakistani buyers to our state-of-the-art equipment goods.

Allow me to expand a little on the agricultural sector, where Italy has just the right technologies to meet the challenges that Pakistan faces in terms of climate resilience and modernization of the agricultural sector.

Both Italy and Pakistan are vulnerable to natural disasters: floods, melting glaciers, drought, erosion, earthquakes and landslides. We produce tractors, efficient irrigation systems, livestock machines, digital technologies for farming (so-called AgTech), and much more.

The agricultural sector has been the focus of our development cooperation for years, specifically from a climate change angle. We have aimed to transfer knowledge and promote sustainable crops, among which I should mention the olive tree, easy to acclimatize in Pakistan and full of promises to improve the nutritional status of the population.

In the same spirit, the Programme for Poverty Reduction (PPR) through Rural Development – funded by Italy with a soft loan worth 40 million euros and implemented with the support of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) - supported the creation of a productive infrastructure system and a social protection network for vulnerable segments of the population, benefiting more than 80,000 households. The program has contributed to curbing poverty and fostering an emerging agribusiness sector.

Cooperation means, literally, building and maintaining partnerships. In this spirit, let me recall the complete inventory of Pakistan's 13,000 glaciers, the world's third largest source of fresh water after the Poles. This study is the result of intensive work by the Italian association EvK2-CNR and his President, Agostino Da Polenza, as part of the “Glaciers and Students” project, executed by UNDP, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation-AICS, but implemented thanks to the tireless field work of so many Pakistani university students.

Taking cue from a long-running Italian tradition of alpinism and mountain studies, started in 1929 by Prof. Ardito Desio, this research is now available to Pakistani institutions for future planning in the field of climate risk mitigation, water conservation and management for agriculture, and food security for local communities.

This is a good opportunity to expand our perspective from business linkages or financial assistance to our bilateral cultural cooperation. This really does take pride of place in our mutual relationships, and dates back to the 19th century, through the work of the most renowned Western specialist in Tibetan and Oriental studies, Professor Giuseppe Tucci.

He excavated the monuments of the Gandhara region and first revealed to the world the splendor of this culture, which so exquisitely merged the Greek heritage and Buddhist spirituality. Today, his legacy is continued by Professor Olivieri, with his archeological mission in Swat, and by Professor Piacentini in the Banbhore site.

Both archeological missions have been supported by the Italian government through many years, and will continue to be.

There is much to take stock of, but much more that can be done. The Embassy of Italy in Islamabad and the Consulate in Karachi renew their commitment to broaden and strengthen the bonds between the two Countries and Peoples.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024