From 24 to 30 November, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation Giorgio Silli will visit Australia, the first visit by an Italian government official since 2017.
He will visit Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra and will focus on revitalising bilateral political dialogue, key regional and international issues and protecting Italian communities. The institutional meetings with the federal and state authorities of New South Wales and Victoria – which alone account for about half of the national GDP – will also focus on the opportunities for growth in trade between Italy and Australia, which in 2022 reached the record figure of 6.2 billion euros.
The visit will be an opportunity to promote the opportunities offered by the bilateral agreement on scientific cooperation, which came into force in June 2021, and to promote the Italian language and culture, which is also the heritage of multicultural Australia. Meetings are also planned with representatives of the Italian-Australian communities, including the business and research communities.
Undersecretary Silli will also take part in the Gala of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce and in the Italian Festival in Melbourne.