Ambassador of Italy Marilina Armellin meets federal minister for economic affairs, cooperation discussed

Celina Ali

Islamabad: Marilina Armellin, Ambassador of Italy to Pakistan, on Monday paid a courtesy call on the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Ahad Khan Cheema.

The Ambassador was accompanied by Mr. Francesco Zatta, Head of Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and Mr. Augusto Palmieri, First Secretary of the Embassy of Italy. Senior Officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs were also present in the meeting.

The meeting commenced with a warm welcome extended by Minister for Economic Affairs to the Ambassador of Italy, recognizing and appreciating the longstanding bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Italy ever since both countries signed a Joint declaration on 14th July, 2005 in order to expand bilateral co-operation in the economic and commercial fields.

Minister Cheema underscored the shared values and perspectives between the two nations on various global matters and emphasized the significance of Italy’s economic assistance to Pakistan. “Pakistan attaches great importance to the economic assistance extended by the Government of Italy.”, said the Minister.

In response, Ambassador Marilina Armellin reaffirmed Italy’s unwavering commitment to supporting Pakistan in mutually agreed priority sectors such as poverty reduction and rural development, technical and vocational training, cultural heritage and agriculture.

She further apprised the Minister of the implementation progress of the ongoing development portfolio funded by the Government of Italy including Italy’s special assistance package provided in the wake of the catastrophic 2022 floods.

She assured that Government of Italy would be continuously supporting Pakistan for economic development activities. Expressing gratitude, Minister Cheema assured Ambassador Marilina Armellin of Pakistan’s dedication to closely collaborate with the Government of Italy, ensuring the effective implementation and review of ongoing projects while further strengthening bilateral ties.