Mr President of the Republic,
I would like to thank you for opening the doors of the Quirinale Palace to the young winners of the latest diplomatic competition, of the course named after Tosca Barucco, a young diplomat who died prematurely.
A new and important sign of attention for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and for foreign policy for which I am personally grateful to you, just a few weeks after your valuable speech at the Conference of Ambassadors.
These 48 young people, who are about to swear allegiance to the Republic and the values of the Constitution, will remember this moment throughout their lives and careers.
Young people who with great commitment, dedication and sacrifices, for them and their families, have successfully faced one of the most selective competitions in the entire Public Administration, driven by the desire to serve their country.
They include graduates in international relations and law, economics and political science. Curious young people, open to the world: among their ranks some speak Russian, Chinese, Greek, Korean, Persian.
Valuable skills, which will enrich the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ wealth of knowledge and expertise with new blood, crucial in the various countries to which they will be sent also to better assist our compatriots and businesses.
Dear young people,
a new phase of your lives begins for you today. Made up of sacrifices, but also of great satisfaction. You will represent Italy in the world every day. You will be the image of our country. Be proud of it!
A sense of responsibility, self-sacrifice in service, maturity of judgment will be required of you.
The international framework in which your service begins is complex. The war in Ukraine, the crisis in the Middle East, insecurity in the Sahel. Additional challenges such as climate change, energy transition, insecurity, the cyber threat.
Only a few days ago, the Foreign Ministry’s website was subject to a new, severe cyber attack. It was fended off without damage, but the website was inaccessible for a long time.
An attack that is not random or accidental. As on other occasions in the past, it began just as Ukrainian President Zelensky was landing in Rome. This is just an example of the framework in which you will be called upon to operate.
You will be required a spirit of service, like that of Ambassador Ravagnan, whom we have sent in recent weeks to Damascus.
Thanks to his presence in the Syrian capital during the complex days of the fall of the Assad regime, a few days ago I could attend the flag-raising ceremony at our Embassy, which we reopened as the first G7 country to be closer to the Syrian population. We are now expecting the new Syrian Foreign Minister in Rome shortly to relaunch our bilateral dialogue.
Mr President,
These young people are the mirror of a dynamic country, open to the world, which wants to grow. Valuable examples for many of their peers, a stimulus and model for those who will follow them. There are many women among them. I am very happy and proud of them.
They are the young people of the Erasmus generation. The best interpreters of the European project, a pillar – together with the transatlantic relationship – of our foreign policy.
Valuable resources, of which the country has an extraordinary need, just as the European Union is launching an important new institutional cycle.
They are the best expression of our territories, which guard our values, our most important energies.
Excellence that it is the duty of Institutions to find and enhance.
Mr President,
In a world that sees the advance of artificial intelligence as a threat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to invest in its most important resource, its people.
In order to ensure that they can always operate at their best in protecting the national interest, I have asked the Secretary General to work quickly on a reform of the Ministry to bring it more in step with the times.
Simplifying procedures, focusing on strengthening the diplomacy of growth, to be ever closer to our businesses and territories, and on the cyber dimension, as a challenge of security, protection of our values and opportunity for development.
In parallel, we also want to update the procedure for access to the diplomatic career, broadening the base of degrees with which one can enter the competition, e.g. literature, mathematics, communication sciences, or engineering, in order to find the best people in each field and also tap into this innovative knowledge.
Mr President,
Italian diplomacy is based on people, always open to dialogue and committed to building bridges, with the aim of peace, prosperity and growth, the key words of the Italian G7 Presidency that has just ended.
Young people are our best architects and we are therefore delighted to welcome them into the large family of the Foreign Ministry.
Thank you Mr President, and good luck and good work to these young people!
