Washington, DC (October 13, 2023) – “With the joint statement adopted in July in Washington, which gave an all-round boost to Italy-U.S. relations, Prime Minister Meloni and President Biden also committed to strengthening our economic partnership. They identified strategic lines and priority areas along which, within the framework of the Farnesina’s [Italian Foreign Ministry] diplomacy for growth, we must set the activities of integrated promotion and public diplomacy in the country.” This is how Ambassador Zappia opened the 2023 Sistema Italia [Italy’s institutional network] meeting in Washington.
At the meeting, attended by Consuls, Italian Cultural Institute and ICE Directors, Bank of Italy Attachés, Scientific Attachés, and all other Sistema Italia representatives in the USA, Min. Plen. Giuseppe Pastorelli, Deputy Director General for Country Promotion, and Director for Integrated Promotion, and Min. Plen. Filippo La Rosa, Deputy Director General for Public Diplomacy and Central Director for the promotion of Italian culture and language, spoke via video link from the Farnesina.
“With our G7 presidency,” noted the Ambassador, “we must make the most of Italy’s potential as a trusted partner of the United States in creating secure value chains, fostering joint investments in emerging technologies and in all sectors of tomorrow’s economy, and capitalizing on the renewed scientific and research collaboration between Italy and the USA.”
Ambassador Zappia also highlighted the need to “seize all opportunities in the immense American market, with a greater penetration of Made in Italy even in less explored but high-potential areas, focusing on the full involvement of our diaspora, starting with the 17 million Italian-Americans, and on the promotion of art and culture, formidable levers for Italy’s soft power and exports.”
The meeting continued with in-depth discussions on economic-commercial promotion and investments in strategic sectors; public diplomacy, communication, promotion of culture and the Italian language, with particular attention to the involvement of the Italian diaspora; scientific and technological cooperation, with a focus on emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, and the promotion of the Italian university system.
The plenary session of the 2023 meeting, preceded by consular coordination meetings, was followed by a meeting of Italian Cultural Institute Directors and Scientific Attachés, as well as a meeting of Education Office Directors in the USA.
On the same day, the Italian Embassy hosted the second meeting in Washington of the Transatlantic Investment Committee, a forum for the promotion of investments between Italy and the USA.
