Within his first official visit to Lviv the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Ukraine Davide La Cecilia met with the students of the faculty of international relations of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv on November 18, 2016.
The Vice-Rector for research, teaching and international cooperation Mariia Zubrytska introduced the diplomat noting that this meeting promotes the further strengthening of Ukrainian-Italian scientific and cultural ties.
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Ukraine Davide La Cecilia declared the support of Italy for the integration aspirations of Ukraine at the beginning of the meeting. “We believe that these attempts will be successful. The first step on this way for Ukraine should be a visa-free regime. Hence, supporting Ukraine in any way, Italy is interested in the positive result of all stages of its European integration”, – the Ambassador assured.
Davide La Cecilia emphasized on the importance of the further cooperation between Ukraine and Italy during the meeting with the students. In particular, according to the Ambassador, Ukraine has great possibilities for investments and improvement of the business climate. “You have two the most important things for it: human capital and a high degree of education and learning. It is extremely important for the country that wants to get investments from other countries and cooperate with them in the business sphere”, – the diplomat noted.
Speaking about the academic and cultural ties between Ukraine and Italy, Davide La Cecilia marked the cultural and educational potential of Lviv; thus, the Embassy is interested in establishing the close cooperation of the city with Italian cities on all levels.
“We have a lot of cultural initiatives. The first of them is to open new possibilities for learning the Italian language in Ukraine, namely in Lviv and at Lviv university. In addition, we are interested in increasing the flow of Italian tourists to Ukraine. Hence, it is necessary to strengthen the cooperation between academic institutions, business structures, the youth and society as a whole”, – Davide La Cecilia noted.
The political cooperation of Ukraine and Italy was also discussed during the meeting. In this context the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary noted that the government of Italy supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state. “Ukraine is Europe; it is its heart. Italy looks at Ukraine attentively and openly but at the same time it suffers from such a principal position and has significant economic losses. However, this price is worth paying for the principles which must be followed”, – Davide La Cecilia assured.
In conclusion, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary shared his experience of the work as a diplomat with the students and noted: “Education is the way to build a successful future. The future of the Ukrainian elite depends on you as it is in your hands.”