Italy celebrates 80th Republic Day reaffirming strategic partnership with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD
Pakistan and Italy reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations across trade, labour mobility, education, culture, investment and development cooperation as the Embassy of Italy hosted a grand reception to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the Italian Republic at Serena Hotel, Islamabad.
The event was hosted by Italy’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Marilina Armellin, and her spouse Domenico Polloni, with Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik attending as the chief guest.
The venue was beautifully adorned showcasing Italy’s rich cultural heritage. The ceremony was attended by a large number of dignitaries, including Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, diplomats, heads of UN agencies, members of the business community and representatives of civil society.
The celebrations featured the national anthems of Pakistan, Italy and the European Union (EU). A ceremonial cake-cutting marked the occasion, highlighting the enduring ties between the two friendly countries.
Addressing the gathering, Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik said Pakistan highly valued its relations with Italy and looked forward to expanding cooperation in diverse sectors. He thanked the Italian government for its continued support and praised the strong partnership between the two nations.
The minister highlighted a major development in bilateral cooperation, announcing that Italy had allocated 10,500 worker visas and 3,200 student visas for Pakistani nationals, opening new avenues for legal migration, employment and educational opportunities.
“Pakistan and Italy enjoy robust cooperation in multiple sectors, and these new opportunities will further strengthen people-to-people contacts and economic linkages between our countries,” he said.
In her welcome address, Ambassador Marilina Armellin said Italy was celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Republic, commemorating the historic referendum of June 2, 1946, through which Italians chose a republican form of government. She noted that it was also the first national election in which Italian women were granted the right to vote.
The ambassador said she was proud to be the first woman appointed as Italy’s ambassador to Pakistan since Italy recognised Pakistan soon after its independence and established formal diplomatic relations in 1948.

Reflecting on nearly eight decades of friendship, she said Pakistan and Italy had developed a broad-based partnership encompassing migration, trade, culture, science, development cooperation, defence, security and multilateral diplomacy.
Ambassador Armellin described Pakistan as an indispensable partner for regional stability and praised Islamabad’s preference for dialogue and multilateral solutions. She noted that Italy appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to act as an honest broker in regional affairs, including facilitating dialogue between the United States and Iran.
As her diplomatic tenure in Pakistan draws to a close this month, Ambassador Armellin expressed confidence that the strong foundations of bilateral cooperation would continue to grow. “Pakistan and Italy share a relationship based on mutual respect, common values and a commitment to building a more prosperous future for our peoples,” she said. In a symbolic gesture reflecting the growing importance of agricultural cooperation, particularly in the olive sector, each guest was presented with a bottle of Italian olive oil as a commemorative gift at the conclusion of the reception.
Highlighting migration cooperation, she said Italy hosts the largest Pakistani-origin community within the European Union and recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Migration and Labour Mobility with Pakistan. She announced that Italy had reserved a dedicated quota of 10,500 work permits for Pakistanis during 2026-2028, while work was underway on a “Skill Passport” framework to align Pakistani youth with the requirements of the Italian labour market, particularly in healthcare, hospitality, information technology and engineering.
The ambassador said the opening of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) office in Islamabad in 2023 further strengthened commercial ties and encouraged greater business interaction between the two countries. She urged Pakistani companies to participate more actively in Italian trade exhibitions and noted growing interest among Italian businesses in Pakistan’s manufacturing, agribusiness, renewable energy and hospitality sectors.
She also highlighted Italy’s support for Pakistani students, noting that Italian universities offer affordable tuition, scholarships and internationally recognised programmes in engineering, architecture, design and agriculture.
Discussing cultural cooperation, Ambassador Armellin recalled Italy’s longstanding contribution to preserving Pakistan’s archaeological heritage, particularly through the Italian Archaeological Mission in Swat, founded by renowned scholar Giuseppe Tucci in 1955. She praised decades of collaboration in preserving Gandharan civilisation and other historic sites across Pakistan.
The ambassador further outlined Italy’s development cooperation portfolio in Pakistan, which currently includes 17 projects worth approximately €169.5 million focusing on climate resilience, renewable energy, water management, disaster risk reduction and sustainable economic growth.
She highlighted the success of the “Scale-Up Olive Culture” programme, which has helped expand olive cultivation across Pakistan and contributed to the country’s first National Olive Policy. She also pointed to Italy’s support for climate action initiatives, including environmentally friendly brick kiln technologies and sustainable agricultural development.