Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Manlio Di Stefano had a meeting with the Vietnamese press on June 8 in Hanoi. (Photo: Thu Lien)

Di Stefano said that Vietnam has been a destination for investors from Italy and hundreds of Italian companies have been present in the country. Vietnam’s capability is on growth in terms of economic and social development, and Italy “now considers Vietnam as a strategical political partner in the region."

Italy wants to be the bridge between the European Union and the ASEAN association, of which Vietnam is a member. "Vietnam is now being considered to be one of the most important partners in the region, with a political vision fitting our vision," the Deputy Foreign Minister said.

Talking about the Indo-Pacific region and the Mekong basin, the Italian official stated that Italy always stands for peace and stability and "encourages the efforts made by Vietnam to facilitate peaceful solutions to the tension that’s going on".

Italy always promotes a peaceful approach and that’s the reason why the country sees that as an association, ASEAN can stand firmly against any kind of pressure from abroad, he emphasized.

Regarding the situation in the South China Sea (East Sea), De Stefano emphasized that at the moment, Italy does not see any specific need for faster intervention and always sticks to UNCLOS agreement.

He said that after the Vietnam visit, he will fly to Jakarta, Indonesia to attend an Italy-ASEAN meeting during which he is due to sign a document of cooperation between Italy and ASEAN. Those concrete projects brought to the table will help translate the political agreements into specific projects. "So Italian presence in the region is going to enlarge more in the next future", he stated.

The Deputy Foreign Minister also noted that the next opening of an Italian Culture Center being included in Casa Italia in Hanoi will help boost cultural cooperation as well as people-to-people exchange between the two countries. And the event will be a practical activity to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Italy and Vietnam in 2023.

Sharing Italy's experience in promoting tourism in the post-pandemic period, Di Stefano said that last year, Italy had to urge tourism agencies to reform and encourage them to have special plans to move tourists to the small villages around the country.

"We have had lots of tourists in big cities like Rome, Millan, … but Italy is made of more beautiful villages and we are trying to attract people there", he said. "And I think this fits well with your needs. Vietnam has cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh..., and the country is also beautiful for other things. You have to move people over there".