Italy-Pakistan: Della Vedova mission to boost bilateral ties

Karachi - Pakistan and Italy have agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties, particularly boosting trade and investment. Both countries are eyeing to enhance the annual bilateral trade from the current $ 1 billion to $ 1.8 billion. Italy is a major trading partner of Pakistan. It is Pakistan's largest export destination within the EU after the United Kingdom and Germany.

The Italian Undersecretary of State of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Benedetto Della Vedova met a number of top Pakistani officials in his recent visit to the South Asian country. In a meeting with Pakistan's top diplomat Sartaj Aziz, the National Security and Foreign Affairs' Advisor, he hailed Islamabad's reforms in the economy sector and reforms in this regard.

According to the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, Aziz pronounced Italy as a close friend and a leading trade and investment partner of Pakistan, and appreciated its cooperation in diverse areas. He also briefed the Italian official about the Pakistani government's initiatives for regional peace and stability and strong commitment to maintaining cordial relations with all neighbouring countries.

Separately, the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar assured the Italian Deputy Minister that the government of Pakistan is fully committed to ensuring transparency and adoption of international standards of governance. Dar emphasized that trade potential is much bigger than the current level. The Minister said Pakistan is fully committed to further enhancing and strengthening relations with Italy in existing and new areas including defense, economic cooperation, trade and investment.

Last year, the then Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and now the Prime Minister of Italy, as well as the Italian Minister for Defense, and the Italian Deputy Minister for Economic Development along with a delegation of Italian businesspersons have visited Pakistan of late. According to Vedova, the recent increase in high-level interaction between the two countries bodes well for relations between the two nations. He emphasized that Italy and the EU are fully committed to keeping international markets open for trade at the highest level. He said that the Italian Ambassador to Pakistan, Stefano Pontecorvo, is making active efforts to promote foreign direct investment by Italian companies in Pakistan in various areas including energy, infrastructure and machinery.

During Vedova's visit to Pakistan, the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) together with EvK2CNR signed a memorandum of understanding in a ceremony agreeing to work on a project titled "Improvement of the Central Karakoram National Park (CKNP) Management System as a Model for Mountain Ecosystems in Northern Pakistan".

The project will also cover the Deosai National Park. Documented Italian presence in the Karakoram mountain range since the early 1900s was shown in a media presentation to illustrate the historical relationship between Italy and Pakistan. It showed photos from Filippo De Filippo's expedition in 1909, Count Ardito Desio's in 1954, and Vittono Sella's in 2004. The Italian Undersecretary of State of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Benedetto Della Vedova also met Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony. In a tweet, the Italian Ambassador to Pakistan has said matters related to the Christian minority in Pakistan, inter-religious dialogue, and Pakistan's blasphemy law were discussed.