Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Dương Hải Hưng (fourth from left). — VNA/VNS Photo

ROME – Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Dương Hải Hưng visited Basilicata region in southern Italy from March 12-14 to explore potential areas of collaboration between Vietnamese localities and Basilicata.

Ambassador Hưng met with key regional leaders, including President of Basilicata Vito Bardi, Councilor of Matera province Concettina Sarlo, Prefect of Potenza city Michele Campanaro, Prefect of Matera city Cristina Favilli, and Mayor of Matera city Domenico Bennardi.

Highlighting the longstanding friendship between Vietnam and Italy spanning over five decades of diplomatic relations, Hưng proposed that leaders of Basilicata region and its cities prioritise policies and measures that would foster cooperation with Vietnamese localities in areas of mutual strength, especially in economy which still holds significant untapped opportunities.

President Bardi hoped that the diplomat’s visit would open up specific cooperation opportunities with Việt Nam, especially in trade and investment.

Mayor Bennardi expressed his desire to step up specific cooperation programmes in cultural preservation, arts and cuisine, aligning with Matera's strengths as a renowned tourist city chosen as the "European Capital of Culture 2019" and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

He suggested forging twinning partnerships with a Vietnamese locality, and expressed his readiness to collaborate with the Vietnamese Embassy to hold cultural, art, fashion and culinary events, thus nurturing friendly cooperation, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Both Prefect Campanaro and Prefect Favilli also echoed their support for collaborative initiatives, delegation exchanges, and all-encompassing cooperation.

During a working session, Councilor Sarlo thanked the Vietnamese embassy for its gift of books on the Vietnamese history, art and culture to the provincial library to raise mutual understanding. He reciprocated by presenting the embassy with a set of books detailing the historical background of Matera's 31 territories.

On the occasion, a roundtable connecting Việt Nam and Basilicata, co-hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy and the Basilicata Confederation of Industry, was a great success, during which participants gained further insights into the potential, cooperation needs and market attractiveness of each other.

Ambassador Hưng also visited major local enterprises and met with members of Rotary club to step up people-to-people diplomacy. — VNS