Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Vincenzo Amendola, is on his second day of mission in Australia. This morning Mr Amendola visited the Co.As.It (Assistance Committee for Italian Schools) where he met the president, Lorenzo Fazzini, and the director, Thomas Camporeale.
Mr Amendola later visited the Parliament House of New South Wales, where he met with the MPs of Italian descent: parliamentarians John Sidoti and Guy Zangari, the Minister for Small Business and Regional Development, John Barilaro, and the Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, Victor Dominello. Mr Amendola emphasised the “great level of integration of the community of Italian descent into the political, social and economic system of New South Wales, a leading trade partner for Italy and a privileged place for the presence of Italian businesses.”
In the afternoon, Undersecretary Amendola met the Federal Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, opening a discussion on the bilateral cooperation between the two Countries in the defence, culture and science sectors, with more than 180 agreements in place between Institutes and Academies. Another issue touched upon was providing a welfare system to first-generation Italian immigrants. Lastly, the two senior government officials agreed on the need to upscale actions against pollution and to support the environmental protection of the Pacific Ocean, with a special focus on small Island States that risk disappearing due to rising sea levels.
The day closed at the Italian Chamber of Commerce, where Undersecretary Amendola met with the Chamber’s Board and Secretary General Nicholas Caré, and representatives of Italian companies. During the meeting, Mr Amendola recalled that in 2015 Italy and Australia exchanged trade volumes worth 4.1 billion euros, thus turning the Country into Italy’s fourth-largest trade partner in Asia.
Undersecretary Amendola’s mission will continue tomorrow in Melbourne.
