A ceremony was held today at the Farnesina to present the commemorative stamp issued to mark the 150th anniversary of Italy-Peru diplomatic relations, which were formally established on 23 December 1874 with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Trade, and Navigation.
The event was presided over by Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Maria Tripodi, representing Minister Antonio Tajani, alongside the Ambassador of Peru to Italy, Manuel Cacho-Sousa. Also in attendance were representatives from the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Poste Italiane, and the Italian Mint and Printing Institute, the organisations involved in producing the philatelic issue. The stamp features the Torre Tagle Palace, the headquarters of Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, with Arnaldo Pomodoro’s iconic Sfera sculpture in the foreground.
“The friendship between Italy and Peru is profound, sincere, and unbreakable,” Tripodi stated, “and it is reflected in the excellent state of our bilateral relations, as well as in the strategic complementarity of our economies, which the Italian government is determined to deepen and strengthen. Infrastructure, energy, logistics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, the environment, and agriculture are just some of the sectors in which Italians and Peruvians can work together to achieve success. The Italian Foreign Ministry remains committed to supporting Italian businesses, and our Embassy in Lima is a key point of reference for all Italian entrepreneurs looking to explore the opportunities this wonderful country has to offer,” the Undersecretary continued, highlighting how the well-integrated expatriate communities in both countries further strengthen Italy’s interest in Peru as a key market in Latin America, with trade relations experiencing continuous growth. In 2023, bilateral trade reached €1.3 billion, marking an almost 10% increase from 2022, a trend that continued into 2024, with figures nearing €1.2 billion by the end of October last year.
“Today, we are not just presenting a stamp,” Tripodi added, “but a true symbol of the revitalisation of our political and strategic dialogue, which took place last September in Lima—precisely at the Torre Tagle Palace depicted in this remarkable philatelic issue—on the occasion of the Bilateral Political Consultation Mechanism, which I had the honour of chairing alongside Peru’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Camino Cannock. We hope that this dialogue will continue with the same momentum in anticipation of the upcoming Italy–Latin America and Caribbean Conference, which will be held in Rome this autumn,” the Undersecretary concluded.
