Under-Secretary Mario Giro is attending the meeting of the Permanent Council of Organisation of American States in Washington to illustrate the direction taken by Italy in the region. “The lines followed by our Latin American policy are those proposed by Minister Mogherini. They are based on realism, cooperation, inter-dependence, the accountability of all actors and dialogue throughout the continent with all parties without conditions or provisos”, declared the Under-Secretary.
“The 6th Italy-Latin American Conference in December 2013 revitalised Italian-Latin American political relations. We must give continuity and facilitate stronger connections in our political relations, with the 2015 Conference in mind. We must also renew our collaboration with Latin America in multilateral battles for principles such as the moratorium on the death penalty and combating climate change.
“Our dialogue with Latin America must be all-encompassing. We aim to create opportunities for direct contact in the cultural, tourism and business sectors. By the end of 2014 we will establish the first Italy-Latin America SME Forum, in which Latin American countries are very keen to participate, while 2015 will be the Year of Italy in Latin America. And we have other spheres of excellence on which to focus”, continued Giro.
The Under-Secretary underscored Italian investment in Central America in response to organised criminality and to improve security. “We have a major judicial cooperation programme in the region, thanks to our expertise in investigating organised crime. We’re helping tackle the problem of the Maras gangs, an issue that is already having repercussions in Italy. Continuity is an important element of our commitment, which we aim to extend to prevention and the social rehabilitation of young criminals, using resources allocated to the Inter-American Development Bank”, concluded Under-Secretary Giro.
