CFK calls for 'restart' of bilateral relations with Italy

As she continued her Italian tour, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner tried to seduce Italian businessmen into investing in Argentina, adding that her trip meant a “restart” of the relationship between both countries. 

“Come to Argentina, get to know us,” she told the businessmen. “You will find that it’s a good place to live and invest in,” she added highlighting the country’s recent economic growth.

The President also met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the Chigi Palace in Rome. 

Fernández de Kirchner began her official visit to Italy by meeting her Italian counterpart, Giorgio Napolitano. The meeting took place at the presidential office at the Quirinale Palace and lasted over 45 minutes.

Also present in the meeting were Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman, as well as Planning Minister Julio De Vido, Agriculture Minister Julián Dominguez and Human Rights Secretary Eduardo Luis Duhalde, among others. 

“I am of Spanish descent, but I’m my country, if you are not of Spanish descent, then you're of Italian descent,” she told Napolitano before the press. With a smile, the Italian president said he appreciated her words, and then led her to his office, where they met in private.

The President flew from Mexico to Rome on Tuesday in order to take part in the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Italian Unification, to which about 40 heads of state are expected to attend on Thursday. 

Her visit marks the beginning of a new era in bilateral relations, since both countries had clashed several times since 2002 despite being the country with the largest percentage of Italian descendants in Latin America.

At the same time, Foreign Minister Timerman met with his Italian counterpart, Franco Frattini, and signed a document in which Italy agrees to provide the local government with any files in their embassies and consulates containing information related to the latest military dictatorship in Argentina.