By: Adnan asif
Italian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan celebrated Republic Day with celebrating 77 years of diplomatic relations and reaffirming a common commitment to peace, development and cultural exchange. Republic Day ceremony hosted by Italy’s Ambassador to Pakistan,ki8 Marilina Armellin, brought together senior government officials, diplomats, business leaders, and members of the cultural and media communities. Italian Ambassador Marilina Armellin, welcoming the guests, remarked: ‘Your presence is the strongest testimony of the solid bonds of friendship that unite Italy and Pakistan’. She emphasised that 2nd June is a symbol of democratic choice and described the Italian Constitution as “a beacon of redemption and hope after the tragic experiences of World War II”. Ambassador Marilina addressing current global tensions, said we are navigating through unchartered waters in international relations and sadly, we must admit that we are bequeathing on our children a more unstable, tense and conflictual world than the one our parents entrusted to us. We look with bitterness and concern at the proliferation of conflict and violence in the world.
We experienced a major crisis firsthand right here only a few weeks back. *Never again is now”, as citizens demonstrating across Europe have proclaimed over the last few years. She cited Italy’s active international role in 2025, including the food for Gaza initiative, spearheaded by the Italian Government with the WFP, the FAO and the ICRC, was launched in Rome in March, the Iran-US nuclear talks and the upcoming global conferences on water and the reconstruction of Ukraine. These initiatives reflect our commitment to peace and shared prosperity, Finally, tonight we chose to celebrate the role of food in preserving and improving human health, without compromising on the taste. One of our flagship cooperation project is the OliveCulture, financed by the Italian Agency for Cooperation to Development and implemented by the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies that Italy is proud to host in the city of Bari. One key aspect of this initiative is promoting entrepreneurship among women. To this end, 26 Olive Business Development Groups of women and youth have been created in the olive-growing areas of Pakistan, with a view to enhancing the livelihoods of rural women and potentially supporting the creation of women-led enterprises adding value to olives. We owe to the work of these women the moisturizing cream that you will be gifted at the end of the event. It is made of olive oil and perfumed by another characteristic scent of Italy: the sour orange.
Attaullah Tarar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting addressing ceremony Italy’s National Day, said Italy is our economic partner, and volume of their bilateral trade has crossed one billion dollars. The Minister extended heartiest greetings to the government and people of Italy on behalf of government and people of Pakistan. Attaullah Tarar Pakistan and Italy have a rich history of bilateral relations based on mutual trust, cooperation and commitment to global peace and development. The Minister said both countries are keen to establish a comprehensive, long-term partnership.
He said the two countries have an effective dialogue mechanism under the Strategic Engagement Plan since 2013 and they are keen to have regular dialogue on political and economic matters. Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan looks forward to hosting the next meeting of the Pak-Italy Joint Economic Commission. He said Italy is an attractive destination for Pakistani students and currently about 3500 Pakistani students are studying in Italy.
