Ambassador of Italy to Baghdad Marco Carnelos was received on 21 June by President of the Republic of Iraq Fuad Masoum for presentation of his Letter of Credence.
In the course of a pleasant meeting, President Masoum, to whom Ambassador Carnelos extended the greetings of President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, thanked Italy for its support of Iraq in a moment of difficulty and in keeping with solid bilateral relations with a long history. In addition to Italy’s military and police training activities, particularly appreciated were our cultural cooperation in the preservation of Iraq’s ancient artistic treasures endangered by the terrorist vandalism of the so-called Islamic State.
Ambassador Carnelos assured Italy’s full support for a peaceful and unified Iraq, and the current government’s efforts to generate dialogue between the various religious and national components. He also announced the upcoming opening of the office of the Italian consulate in Erbil as a further, tangible sign of Italy’s high level political commitment to maintaining excellent bilateral relations in all areas, including those economic and commercial.
