Alberto Rubio
The Italian Ambassador to Spain, Giuseppe Buccino, expressed his conviction that negotiations for the recognition of Spanish-Italian dual nationality “are within our reach”, as he stated during the reception he gave yesterday to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Italian Republic, in which the region of Sardinia participated as guest of honour.
Buccino thanked the Spanish government for its openness towards this recognition and, after recalling the many children of mixed marriages, ‘who are Italian but also Spanish”, he regretted that, at present, “the decision to try, for example, to gain access to public administration has to be linked to the only nationality that a student possesses”.
“I also believe”, he added, “that the main objective of our governments, the raising of bilateral relations to a privileged level through an ad hoc agreement, corresponds to the level of rapprochement between our two states and peoples”. For this reason, he reiterated his confidence “that the negotiations will be successful”, adding that “this would benefit the European Union, our common and indispensable reference point”.
What Italian citizens will be able to do on 7 and 8 June is to cast their votes for the European Parliament elections at Italian consulates throughout Spain. For this reason, he announced that “we are strengthening our consular structures to cope with the increase in the number of Italian citizens living in Spain”, which has doubled in less than 10 years.
He also announced that “the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, will travel to Gran Canaria in the second half of September for the Cotec summit”, which brings together the heads of state of Spain, Portugal and Italy. He added that “His Majesty the King’s state visit to Italy, which should take place before the end of the year, is in the preparatory phase”.
On the multilateral level, the ambassador said that “Russia’s attack on Ukraine is not only aggression but a totally unacceptable war of conquest“. On the Middle East crisis, he underlined Italy’s desire to work at the G20, at the United Nations and in the European Union, in favour of the solution of ‘two states’ that “finally recognise each other and know how to live in peace”.
With a copy of the statue of one of the giants of Monte Prama (Sardinia) on his back, the ambassador concluded by announcing that “the original will arrive in mid-September and will be exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum” in Madrid. He took the opportunity to encourage the guests to visit Sardinia —“this wonderful land, a magical place connected to Spain by direct flights and sea transport”— whose gastronomic specialities could also be tasted yesterday in the gardens of the Embassy.
The reception was attended, in addition to numerous ambassadors and businessmen, by the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Oscar Puente; the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Manuel de la Rocha; the Secretary of State for Latin America and the Caribbean and Spanish in the world, Susana Sumelzo; and the Director of the National Intelligence Centre, Esperanza Casteleiro.
