Download logoPresdent Isaias and his delegation met this afternoon, at Palazzo Chigi in Rome, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for extensive discussion on bilateral ties and partnership.
President Isaias highlighted the broad investment opportunities in Eritrea across various sectors such as roads, railways, ports, cable transportation, agriculture, innovation, fish resources, and energy.
Prime Minister Meloni for her part announced appointment of her principal Advisor for follow-up of all the investment portfolios in close consultation with Government of Eritea. To this end, several meetings between the delegation and relevant Italian Ministries and companies were already scheduled.
At the meeting with Mr. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Minister of Environment and Energy, and Mr. Francesco Lollonrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, President Isaias said that the relation between Eritrea and Italy has not begun with the current relations between Africa and Italy, it had rather unique and historical background that had to go through positive and negative phases.
Indicating that 150 thousand Eritreans that were forcedly conscripted by Italy have become victims of all sorts, President Isaias urged for opening the archives of those Eritreans so that will become bridge for cooperation and strategic relations between the two countries.
President Isaias elaborated that during the Italian colonialism, Eritrea used to possess modern institutions and infrastructure, transportation, ports, agriculture and industry that were mainly serving the Italian settlers. However, President Isaias said that the British colonialism with the pretext that ‘Eritrea could not economically support itself’, had an evil plan to federate Eritrea with Ethiopia. As a result, President Isaias went on to say that it sold many of modern facilities to foreign countries and destroyed the remaining ones. The institutions and facilities that remained were also destroyed during the 30 years of armed struggle for Eritrea’s Independence, President Isaias added.
Mr. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin on his part said that the Africa-Italy Summit will have significant importance in the development of relations between Italy and Africa in general and that of historic relations with Eritrea as well as in the cooperation in the sectors of mining, and human resources development and others.
Mr. Francesco Lollonrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry on his part said that he will visit Eritrea to fully grasp and implement the idea and briefing forwarded by President Isaias.
President Isaias on the margin of the Africa-Italy Summit, on 29 January met and held talks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of the Federal Republic of Somalia and President William Ruto of the Republic of Kenya focusing on the development of bilateral ties and cooperation and on issues of mutual interest.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
