L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 4 BARBARA MINAFRA SILVIA GIUDICI NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS T he bond between US and Italy is a commitment "to supporting and promoting civil li- berties and democratic princi- ples." President Mattarella hopes that, "Washington and Rome, together also in their response to present unprece- dented challenges, will conti- nue to strengthen their close- ness, and further develop their collaboration in support of shared values." These are his words on the year Italy cele- brates the 160th anniversary of the Unification and the Italy-US diplomatic rela- tions, which began on the 13th of April 1861, also turn 160. "Since then, we have tra- veled a long road together. Our deep friendship has grown progressively over the past se- venty-five years, taking root in our shared commitment to the values of freedom, peace and democracy. The constant and productive social and cultural exchanges between our peo- ples nourish it, as does the contribution made by the large and active community of Ita- lian origin in the United States of America, and by US citizens living in our country. A bond that sees us committed, in a firmly transatlantic perspec- tive, to supporting and promo- ting civil liberties and demo- cratic principles, within a framework of international se- curity and stability aimed at promoting economic develop- ment and social progress." In a world still profoundly signed by the pandemic, Mattarella does not only hope for a shared economic recovery, but also in revitalized relations: "unpre- cedented global challenges spur us, once again, to join our wills and energies at the na- tional and international levels, as well as multilateral fora that have proven effectiveness of action over the decades. In this spirit, I am pleased to ex- tend my warmest wishes for the future of relations between our two peoples, and my dee- pest appreciation to all those who, through their efforts, contribute to promoting the ties between Italy and the Uni- ted States of America." Italian Foreign Affairs mi- nister Luigi Di Maio atten- ded in Washington a two-day event of virtual celebrations and took part in a series of meetings with important in- stitutional and civil figures of American society. At the heart of the dialogue were bilateral relations, collaboration on vaccines and post-Covid reco- very, international politics, Italy's G20 presidency and the COP26 co-partnership. Di Maio has been the first Italian representative and the first world Foreign Affairs mi- nister to officially meet the new Biden administration. In particular, he met and di- scussed with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry (Italy, too, has been considering to create a similar figure) and the Direc- tor of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Di- seases, Italian-American Anthony Fauci. He then met representatives of some of the most relevant American Think Tanks, including presi- dent of the German Marshall Fund Karen Donfried, pre- sident of Brookings John Al- len and president of the Atlantic Council Frederick Kempe. Moreover, he also attended a celebratory event and paid his homage to the police offi- cer killed in the 2nd of April attack. He also met the Speaker of the House of Re- presentatives Nancy Pelosi, who mentioned their common roots: "Italians and Italian- American migrants mapped our coastline, named our na- tion, helped building it with their own hands, and inspired some of our greatest reference points, including the US Ca- pitol, where a Daughter of Italy is a Speaker." Pelosi, then, continued, saying that: "While we celebrate the histo- rical connections between our governments, nations and peoples, the US Congress can't wait to work with our Italian partners to build an increa- singly strong friendship for the future. Now more than ever, the Italian-American al- liance is essential to tackle the complex and urgent challen- ges awaiting us: from the co- ronavirus crisis — and the connected global economy crisis — to threats to security, all the way to human rights and climate change. We cele- brate this important anniver- sary renewing the special bond between our great na- tions for the future genera- tions." During his press confe- rence, Di Maio underlined that, "With Blinken, Italy and US will have many an oppor- tunity to strengthen their re- lations. We agreed on the ne- cessity to speed up together the vaccines campaign and to get better organized, as We- stern World, to tackle vacci- nes' geopolitics in the eastern quadrant." Indeed, bilateral cooperation on vaccines, science and anti-Covid thera- pies was at the heart of di- scussions, also with Anthony Fauci. For his part, the head of US diplomacy did not only stress that Di Maio was the first re- presentative of a foreign go- Continued to page 6 Francesca Lo Schiavo and Dante Ferretti at the Academy Awards: many Italians in LA shine in the world of cinema (Photo: Featureflash/Dreamstime) A portrait of Dante Alighieri, symbol of Italian culture. Italians around the world celebrate him this year (Photo: Roberto Pangiarella/Dreamstime) The Cassini probe (Photo: Vampy1/Dreamstime) Italy and US: 160 years of strong connections

• Cover