“Cristian Provvisionato is free and on his way back to Italy together with Undersecretary of State Vincenzo Amendola. I wish to express my great satisfaction at the release and return of our compatriot to Italy. I spoke with him over the phone and he sounded excited and happy to return home,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano.”I wish to express my feeelings of gratitude to the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, and to the Mauritanian authorities for making such a decision that shows a profound friendship with Italy and great humanity towards Cristian, who will be able to go back to his loved ones,” pointed out Minister Alfano.The positive conclusion of the detention of Cristian Provvisionato confirms the excellent bilateral relations that exist between Italy and Mauritania, and permits looking at the future development of such relations with greater optimism and the encouraging prospects of greater cooperation.”At a time of joy such as this, my thoughts also go to Ms Doina Coman, Cristian’s mother, whom I met at the Farnesina on 26 April. I spoke with her right after her son was set free. I made a commitment to her, also on a personal level, to work tirelessly for the liberation of Cristian. I am happy that this has come about in such a short time, thanks also to the excellent work carried out by our Farnesina team,” added Minister Alfano.