Juan David Latorre
On the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the Republic of Italy, Ambassador Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi held the long-awaited reception for the Diplomatic Corps in the beautiful gardens of his Embassy.
After thanking the presence of distinguished Spanish authorities, such as the President of the Spanish Senate, Pedro Rollán, and the Ministers of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska, and of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas, of the Spanish Government, Ambassador Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi specifically wished to express his gratitude to the Spanish Minister of the Interior for his “continuous cooperation, finally concretized with the visit of the Italian Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedossi, last Friday.” and his Agriculture colleague for “the constant and productive dialogue maintained with the Italian authorities over the past few years. I am very pleased,” he noted, “that the minister recently traveled to Sorrento, a wonderful town near my hometown, for the Ambrosetti Forum to the South.”
The Italian ambassador also thanked the President of the Regional Council, Lorenzo Sospiri, and the Vice President of the Regional Board, Emanuele Impudente, for their excellent collaboration in implementing a broad and multidimensional economic and cultural promotion program, which opened last week with a concert on the areas of the composer Francesco Paolo Tosti at the Instituto Italiano of Culture in Madrid and will run over the next six months.
“The 79th Feast of the Italian Republic coincides with the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Spain and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Andorra. This year, he noted, this feast is dedicated specifically to the region of Abruzzo, a land of ancient Latin, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic civilizations, with Eastern influences, according to the words of the writer Guido Piovene’s journey to Italy, the noble land of the Latin poet Ovid of The Metamorphoses, and also the land of the great poet Gabriele D’Annunzio.” The Italian ambassador then spoke about the Abruzzo region, “so anchored in the past, steeped in nature, history, and culture, just as the Milanese writer Giorgio Manganelli taught us. Proud of its traditions, strong and friendly, it is now integrated into modernity with its businesses, its openness to the outside world, and the strength of its communities abroad, communities that maintain ties with their land of origin, thanks also to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ program dedicated to roots tourism.”
Referring to Spain, the ambassador emphasized that “it is the fourth largest market for Abruzzo. The 13,000 people from this region residing in Spain play a key role. The economic, cultural, social, and artistic initiatives that will take place in Spain for more than six months represent an ambitious promotion within the framework of the excellent bilateral relations between Spain and Italy in the economic, cultural, and social spheres.”
“These bilateral relations,” Ambassador Grimaldi continued, “were marked last December by the state visit of Their Majesties the King and Queen to Rome and Naples. There, in a highly impactful speech before the assembled Italian Parliament, Her Majesty referred to the concern over how many treaties, institutions, and multilateral forums are suffering accelerated erosion as their effectiveness and the very meaning of their existence are questioned, a dangerous slide toward something uncertain and bleak. And all of this takes place in a complex and volatile global context, with open and latent conflicts, enormous inequalities within countries and between countries and regions, and accelerating technological change that is deteriorating the natural environment that sustains human life.”
Referring to Russia’s occupation of Ukraine, which the ambassador described as an “unjust and illegal aggression,” he indicated that “it is imperative to work to ensure that international law is finally respected and a just and lasting peace can be achieved. In July, Rome will host a major conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine.” “The tragedy in Gaza,” the ambassador also noted, as Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani emphasized after the important ministerial meeting in Madrid on May 25, “must shock consciences. We are friends of Israel, we love them, but we say enough of wars, now is the time for a truce. Hamas’s trap has dragged Israel into a war for which the civilian population is paying. Hamas has an enormous responsibility to respect its people, whom it is using as a human shield. However,” he continued, “Israel is a country that has no peace and security.”
Israel must understand that there is international humanitarian law that must always be respected. The President of the Republic, Ferio Mattarella, on the occasion of the congratulations to the Diplomatic Corps, declared that the refusal to apply the rules of humanitarian law to the citizens of Gaza is unacceptable. A ceasefire is imposed immediately. It is inhumane to starve an entire population, from children to the elderly. Today’s world, torn apart and in disarray, marked by other very serious and forgotten conflicts, such as the conflict in Sudan, needs dialogue and cooperation within regional and international organizations more than ever”.
“Spain and Italy are profoundly pro-European and share the need for the Union to be further strengthened at the institutional and defense levels, to face a reality profoundly different from the past, both in the east and in the Mediterranean in Israel. “The Union is and always will be the gentle force, the kind force of the great Italian pro-European Tommaso Padaschioppa, but it must also be a credible force, characterized by rapid procedures, with clear strategic objectives, with the ability to overcome completely minority positions,” declared Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi. “At the same time,” he continued, “it must play not only an economic role but also a political and security role. All of this in close connection with states that with immense courage saved Europe in the early 1940s, such as the United States and the United Kingdom.” The United Kingdom will always be part of Europe; we must not forget that.”
Finally, the Italian ambassador wished to pay a heartfelt tribute to “a great friend, Aldo Olcese, a great OMRI Officer and prominent member of the Italian community in Spain, who has left us, and whose great courage we will forever remember.”
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas, spoke, noting that “June 2nd not only commemorates the birth of the Italian Republic, but also represents the triumph of the democratic will of the Italian people and their commitment to the values of freedom, justice, and equality. Italy is a European benchmark in culture, innovation, and commitment to European integration. As a Spaniard, I feel very close to this commemoration. Our countries share a thousand-year history of exchanges and affinities. Italy and Spain have been, throughout the centuries, beacons of culture and civilization in Europe and around the world. But beyond historical ties, something deeper unites us: a way of understanding life.” It is a living connection between our peoples, marked by a shared commitment to sustainable development, innovation, and committed cooperation in key sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and food. Italy and Spain share a common Mediterranean sensibility. Let us be aware that in 21st-century Europe, defending the countryside and the sea also means defending our identity and our culture. As Miguel de Unamuno wrote, “the countryside is the homeland of the soul.” May this hard-fought homeland continue to unite Italians and Spaniards in the task of cultivating a more just, more urban, and more sustainable future.”
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska, noted that “the important thing today is the 160 years of fruitful bilateral relations, where we have gotten to know each other even more, if possible. There’s no need to look back more than 2,000 years to know that illustrious Spaniards from Hispania also helped to develop the Italian culture to which we all owe our debt and which implies the universality of knowledge and the universality of relations.” The Spanish minister highlighted the role played by Spain and Italy at two key moments: “the agreement on Spain’s accession to the European Union, and also the Schengen Border Code for that free movement, which both Italy and Spain are working to ensure remains unchanged in the face of threats of consolidating certain internal controls.”
Finally, the president of Semana de España, Pedro Rollán, spoke, noting that “relations between the two countries are not only reflected in the last 160 years from a diplomatic perspective, but the historical relationship that goes back more than two millennia has forged a relationship of brotherhood between Italy and Spain.”
“Italy is the origin of our culture,” concluded Pedro Rollán. “Italy is the origin of our language and, to a large extent, the origin of our trade, and, why not say it, also the hallmark of our political inspiration, which makes us proud. We are sister countries, close countries, and countries that also share a fervent Atlantic vocation, a fervent defense of what unites us and what the Mediterranean bathes us in, and a fervent defense of theEuropean Union. Therefore, I just want to emphasize on this important day, the day we commemorate the national holiday of the Italian Republic, that what works for Italy works for Spain, and what works for Spain works for Italy.”
