On 3 December, the Consulate General of Italy in Erbil finalised a Collaboration Agreement with the Società Dante Alighieri and the Catholic University of Erbil, signed by the Secretary General of the Società Dante Alighieri, Prof. Alessandro Masi, and by the President of the CUE, Dr. Nazar Shabila, for the promotion of Italian language courses in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Agreement, drawn up in the spirit of the Framework Agreement between the Foreign Ministry and the Società Dante Alighieri, has a renewable duration of three years and aims to make the offer of courses in the Region permanent.
The Consul, Michele Camerota, at the end of his mandate expressed great satisfaction: “The signing of the Agreement represents the completion of the initiative undertaken with determination by our Headquarters which, this year, has promoted and financed the development of four modules, each with classes in the presence of 15 students with a remote Dante teacher, destined for CUE students and other selected users. This is with the aim of giving a concrete response to the demand for Italy that we find from the authorities and the local population, who express deep feelings of friendship towards our country.”
“The choice of the CUE, where an Italian Corner was inaugurated last July, with texts provided by the Foreign Ministry,” Camerota continued, “has matured in the face of widespread and shared appreciation for an academic institution that has rapidly established itself on the local scene and is characterised by a cutting-edge campus, an inclusive environment, a dynamic and constantly growing educational offer, making it fully eligible as a centre for the dissemination of our language and culture in the Kurdish region.”
The signing of the Agreement has been met with widespread appreciation from the regional authorities and particular enthusiasm from the actors involved, confirming a favourable climate for developing the promotion of Italy, opening up new perspectives and opportunities to affirm the value of cultural diplomacy as a driving force for strengthening bilateral relations, dialogue and mutual understanding between peoples.
