"We are a country that looks to the Arab world," he said at the 'Italian Arab Business Forum'.
"They have put a hyphen in my surname and turned it into an Arab one - Al-Fano - but I am not offended," Alfano quipped.
"I come from a Sicily, where the Arab presence was important."
There are 500 million consumers in the Mediterranean region, who generate 10 percent of the world's gross domestic product, 30 percent of its oil and 20 percent of shipping, Alfano noted.
"The Expo 2020 world trade fair and other initiatives can provide a bridge to the future."
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About VDC
Doraiah Chowdary Vundavally is a Software engineer at VTech . He is the news editor of SocialNews.XYZ and Freelance writer-contributes Telugu and English Columns on Films, Politics, and Gossips. He is the primary contributor for South Cinema Section of SocialNews.XYZ. His mission is to help to develop SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgement towards any.