“The relations between Italy and Argentina are characterised by a robust human component. It is a bond mainly due to the migration flows between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that have progressively strengthened in recent decades thanks to increasingly lively economic, cultural and scientific exchanges”. This was stated by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Marina Sereni, speaking at the presentation of the “Listening Events of Argentine Universities”, promoted by the Italian Inter-University Consortium for Argentina (CUIA).
“The depth of this bond – continued Sereni – is reflected in the widespread perception of Italian heritage as part of Argentina’s cultural heritage. Therefore, this led to the creation of bilingual sections in public schools and support to train Italian language teachers. As far as a cultural promotion in Argentina is concerned, it is vital to remember that last year alone the Embassy, the consular offices and the Italian Cultural Institutes of Buenos Aires and Cordoba organised over 450 events”.
“Within a framework of fervent cultural relations,” said the Vice-Minister, “it is not surprising that cooperation in the university and research fields represents an area of absolute interest and huge potential for both countries. The Executive Programme in the educational field signed last year identifies the priorities for our action between now and 2023. As Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are daily engaged in supporting the internationalisation of the Italian higher education system, an important driver for economic development, with positive effects for Made in Italy, competitiveness, and innovation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will, therefore, continue to work to help the university system abroad. We are fully aware – concluded Sereni – that academic cooperation will be one of the elements on which Italy’s ability to recover in the coming months will be measured”.
