'Argentina plays a crucial part in today’s world,' Italian President Napolitano says

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano expressed how “Argentina plays a crucial part in today’s world,” during a meeting with President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner this morning at the Quirinale Palace, government officials informed.

Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman informed journalists of the Italian President’s comments, also highlighting the importance of the Italian visit, due to the fact that “it’s the first time in ten years” that an Argentine Head of State had made an official visit to the country.

President Fernández de Kirchner met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the Chigi Palace earlier today to discuss bilateral ties, hoping to soothe tensions that had built over the past nine years between the two countries.

Fernández de Kirchner arrived little after 1PM to the presidential sector of the Chigi Palace where she had lunch with Berlusconi. The aims of the meeting were to “begin a new phase” regarding bilateral relations between the countries, focusing on trade in sectors such as economy, science, technology and culture, diplomatic sources said. 

Following their meeting, there were no speeches made to the press, nor did they hold any press conferences. It had been said that Berlusconi was avoiding speaking directly with foreign press, following his recent sex scandal and electoral humiliation over the weekend in Milan and Naples.  

The last time a member of the Argentine government made a visit to Italy, was when the ex caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde went in 2002.

President Fernández de Kirchner's activities began this morning when she met with her Italian counterpart, President Giorgio Napolitano.

“I am a Spanish descendent, but in my country he who does not descend from Spanish roots, tends to descend from Italian roots,” Fernández de Kirchner said during a conversation with Napolitano.

President Napolitano smiled and nodded appreciatively towards the Argentine Head of State, with whom he conducted a meeting in the Bronzino Salon, within the presidential headquarters.

The meeting with the Italian President lasted around 40 minutes, and Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman, Planning Minister Julio De Vido, Agriculture Minister Julián Domínguez were all present. Additional participants included Human Rights Secretary Eduardo Luis Duhalde, and the Italian Ambassador in Italy Torcuato Di Tella.  

The Argentine President arrived to Rome yesterday as part of an official visit, as well as to participate in the official celebrations of the Italian Unification.