
Hanoi (VNA) - President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse will pay a State visitto Italy this month at the invi𝔉tation of Italian Pr꧙esident Sergio Mattarella.
On this occasion, Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro granted Vietnam News Agency aninterview ahead of the visit, expecting that it will contribute to update thepolitical relations between the two countries and orient their cooperation inall sectors.Reporter: What is the significance of theupcoming visit to Italy by Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong?
Ambassador Antonio Alessandro: The upcoming visit to Italy byVietnam President Vo Van Thuong has a great significance as it marks 50 yearsof diplomatic relations (March 23, 1973 – March 23, 2023) and 10 years ofstrategic partnership (January 21, 2013 – January 21, 2023).
Ittakes place ten years after another major visit to Italy, that of the PartySecretary General Nguyen Phu Trong in January 2013 when the two countriessigned a joint statement on the establishment of the strategic partnership.
PresidentSergio Mattarella will welcome President Vo Van Thuong on a “State Visit”, thehighest format in international relations.
Thetwo Heads of State will celebrate the friendship, solidarity and cooperationthat have characterized our ꩲrelations so far and set new ambitions for thefuture.

Italyand Vietnam have changed in these 50 years and the world has changed. There isa lot that they can give each other, one as a founding member of the EU and asa G7 member, the other as a prominent member of ASEAN and as one of the mostdynamic economies in the Indo-Pacific region.
Thevisit will update our political relation to orient our cooperation in allsectors.
Reporter: Vietnam and Italy celebrate 50anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations this year.Looking back on such a memorable journey, what are the most remarkableachievements attained and what are potentials that have not been tapped?
Ambassador Antonio Alessandro: Trade and investments are ofcourse sectors in which we have achieved great results.
Wehave reached the record figure of 6,2 billion USD in bilateral trade in 2022and we want to continue to grow thanks t🃏o the EVFTA. Vietnam is Italy’s largesttrade partner in ASEAN and Italy is the second largest EU exporter to Vietnam.

Italianinvestments are less impressive in volume, but very high in quality and veryrelevant for our respective economies.
SomeItalian investments are particularly visible and appreciated by the Vietnamesepublic.
Wealso see some initial Vietnam's investments in Italy and we want to encouragethem.
S&Tis another area that has given great satisfaction to both Parties. Seven three-years programmes have already been concluded and we have just issued the call tocollect new projects for the 2024-26 programme.
Finally,culture and creative industries, as well as protection of heritage, are furtherareas where our cooperation has brought about important results.
Inall these ꧃areas, there are opportunities. I would also like to mention theimportance o♛f people-to-people mobility such as tourism and student exchanges.
Reporter: Could you share with us your plan tocelebrate the two countries’ 50th anniversary?
Ambassador Antonio Alessandro: We had our officialcelebration on 23 March, the exact day in which we established diplomaticrelations.
Anumber of initiatives have followed, like the Italian opera in costume"Cavalleria Rusticana", the visit of the Italian Navy Ship"Morosini", the exhibition "Created in Italy".
Awonderful photographic exhibition of some memorable moments in our relationswas exposed at Casa Italia until a few days ago. It was curated by the Italian news agency ANSA with photos alsoprovided by the Vietnam News Agency in the framework ofthe cooperation agreement between the two agencies.
Staytuned on the Embassy's social media to know more about the next events.
Reporter: On a personal note, if you host aVietnamese friend in Italy, what will you show him/her firstly about yourcountry? And when you welcome an Italian friend in Vietnam, what do you usuallydo?
Ambassador Antonio Alessandro: In Italy I would taꦉke him to the Capitol, from where you seethe “Foro Romano”, the heart of ancient Rome. There is exactly wherePresident Vo Van Thuong will be accompanied, to discover the magic and historyof the "eternal City", as we call Rome.