‘Steps for plastic-free Pakistan laudable’
Italian Ambassador Andreas Ferrarese plays piano, as his wife looks on during the morning show Expresso. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Italian Ambassador Andreas Ferrarese has said that a bilateral dialogue between Pakistan and India is the only way to resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute.
Speaking in Express News morning show Expresso, the Italian ambassador lauded Islamabad’s efforts to promote peace in the region. He also praised Prime Minister Imran Khan’s steps towards boosting the ecology by planting millions of trees under his 10 Billion Tree Tsunami (10BTT) project, creating a plastic-free Pakistan and successful policies in combating the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Moreover, he said that the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project can play a major role in the economic uplift of the region.
Ferrarese said Italy and Pakistan have always enjoyed friendly bilateral, economic, and defence relations though there remains room to forge stronger ties between the two countries.
He said that Pakistan’s economy has been steadily improving and there are several investment opportunities here. In this regard, he stressed the need to increase the volume of trade between the two countries.
On Pakistan’s ambitions to transform itself into a tourist destination, Ferrarese said that Italy has historically been a great tourist destination.
He said that Italy possesses one of the world’s largest collection of historical sites such as those in Rome, Venice, and Florence, while there are thousands more which need to be discovered.
However, he pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic had caused severe losses to its economy as the countries across the globe were forced to shut flights and the stream of tourists dwindled.
He, however, praised PM Imran for his smart lockdown policy and said other countries need to follow it.
Ferrarese added that Italy is willing to provide financial and technical support in the uplift of Pakistan’s tourism sector. So much so that he said that his country wants to invest in the construction of hotels at tourist spots and the improvement of road infrastructure that could boost tourism.
Ferrarese said Italy is also trying to bring its famous cinema to Pakistan as well.
Of the connection that Italy enjoys with Pakistan, the ambassador said around 200,000 Pakistanis live in Italy, playing their role in the country’s development and stressed on improving people-to-people contact between the two countries.
Having recently arrived in Islamabad to replace his predecessor, Stefano Pontecorvo, Ferrarese expressed his fondness for the Pakistani cuisine, saying that he was experimenting with his chef on a fusion of Pakistani and Italian food.
He said that there are many Pakistani restaurants in Italy and the experiment has been very successful. His wife Albana also expressed her fondness for Pakistan’s spicy food and weather. She said Pakistan is a beautiful country and she liked living here.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2020.