Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP), signed by Pakistan and Italy in Rome, will prove helpful in defining existing cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and developments fields between the two countries.
These views were expressed by Ambassador of Italy to Pakistan Adriano Chiodi Cianfarani in his lecture at the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (CCFA).
“Pakistan and Italy share the same vision of global peace and regional stability,” he said, while adding that “Both countries lead the ‘Uniting for Consensus’ group of countries in order to find a shared solution that would reinforce the credibility and effectiveness of the UN.”
“Italy has traditionally supported all Pakistani candidatures to multilateral forums and institutions,” he said.
The ambassador had also commended Pakistan for having ratified the UN conventions on human rights and for having approved important pieces of legislation, particularly regarding women’s rights.
He emphasised that the Italian Development Cooperation was funding a portfolio of over 226 million euro of development projects all over Pakistan in close collaboration and partnership with the Pakistani government at federal and provincial levels.
“Italy has been traditionally very active in Pakistan in the cultural field, for instance the Italian archaeological mission in Swat active over the last 60 years which is accredited with the restoration of important Gandhara sites and very recently the discovery and restoration of the Udegram Mosque,” he said, adding that Italian archaeologists have also been working in Sindh, in the past and currently.”
“Italy this year had co-sponsored for the first time the 2013 edition of the Karachi Literature Festival that was an important instrument to promote literacy and education,” the ambassador said.
Finally the ambassador had talked about Italy-Pakistan Bilateral Trade and Investment Relations, remarking how Italy had always followed with keen interest the Pakistani market and in the past decades had also increased its positioning, becoming one of the top ten global trading partners of Pakistan and the third amongst European Union member states, after the United Kingdom and Germany, with a growing trade exchange amounting in 2011 to approximately US $1.5 billion.