Today the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, visits the Vinitaly Fair, which since 1967 has been the main showcase for the promotion of Italian wine at international level.
Vinitaly is also attended by three Heads of State and Government of Western Balkan countries: Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic,Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevsky. Minister Tajani meets them in a small Summit dedicated to the promotion of the agri-food sector as a tool to support the region’s economy, in the framework of the process for bringing the Western Balkans closer to the European Union. He said: “We have promoted the presence of the Balkan countries in Vinitaly at the highest level, as part of the strategy aimed to stabilise the region. The Albanian Prime Minister, the Serbian President and North Macedonia’s Prime Minister are here today to visit the stands and further strengthen cooperation in this area. With the Trieste Conference held on 24 January last, we indeed started a new path with the Western Balkan countries, designed to revitalise our political engagement and economic, trade, cultural and scientific cooperation in the region. Tomorrow [3 April] we will host a Ministerial Meeting with the six Ministers of the region at the Foreign Ministry”.
Minister Tajani will also visit the pavilions of the main wine producers and agricultural and agri-food associations, also taking part in two round table discussions organised by Consorzio Valpolicella and by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, respectively.
“Over the years, Vinitaly has become a true brand capable of driving the promotion of Italian wine at international level and – like the entire fair and exhibition system – it is a strategic asset for the national production system and the trends of Italian exports”, the deputy Prime Minister underlined, while highlighting that the Foreign Ministry is in the front line – in collaboration with all the institutional players involved, starting with ICE – to promote ever greater internationalisation of this Fair.
