Foreign relations of Italy
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This article describes the foreign relations of Italy.
[edit] International organization participation
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS IHO, ILO, IMF, International Maritime Organization, Inmarsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNSC, UNTSO, UPU WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, Zangger Committee
[edit] Foreign relations
Italy was a founding member of the European Community — now the European Union (EU). The country was admitted to the United Nations in 1955 and is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/World Trade Organization (GATT/WTO), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the Council of Europe. It chaired the CSCE (the forerunner of the OSCE) in 1994, the EU in 1996, and the G8 in 2001, and held the EU presidency from July to December 2003.
Italy participated in and deployed troops in support of UN peacekeeping missions in Somalia, Mozambique, and East Timor and provides critical support for NATO and UN operations in Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania. 1,000 Alpini troops were deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in February 2003. Italy also supported international efforts to reconstruct and stabilize Iraq through its military contingent of some 3,200 troops, as well as humanitarian workers and other officials. The troops remained in Iraq until December 2006 when they were retrieved by the Prodi-government.[citation needed]
In August 2006 Italy sent about 3,000 soldiers to Lebanon for the ONU peacekeeping mission UNIFIL.[1] Furthermore, since 2 February 2007 an Italian, Claudio Graziano is the commander of the UN force in the country.
The Italian government seeks to obtain consensus with other European countries on various defense and security issues within the EU as well as NATO.[citation needed] European integration and the development of common defense and security policies will continue to be of primary interest to Italy.[citation needed]
In February 2007, Italy, Britain, Canada, Norway and Russia announced their funding commitments to launch a $1.5 billion project to help develop vaccines they said could save millions of lives in poor nations, and called on others to join them.[1]
[edit] Relations with the United States
The United States enjoy a peculiar relation with Italy, as the latter, defeated in WWII, has been a secret battlefield of the Cold War and almost always had to act as a state under limited sovereignty.[citation needed] Italy and the US are NATO allies and cooperate in the United Nations, in various regional organizations, and bilaterally. Italy has worked closely with the United States and with other nations on such issues as NATO and UN operations as well as with assistance to Russia and the New Independent States; the Middle East peace process; multilateral talks; Somalia and Mozambique peacekeeping; and combating drug trafficking, trafficking in women and children, and terrorism.[who?]
Under longstanding bilateral agreements flowing from NATO membership, Italy hosts important U.S. military forces at Vicenza and Livorno (army); Aviano (air force); and Sigonella, Gaeta, and Naples- home port for the U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet. The United States still has about 16,000 military personnel stationed in Italy. The NATO War College is situated in Rome.
The election of the new Italian PM Prodi has changed relations with the US, after a period of acritical and staunch support for the current US administration under the Berlusconi government.[citation needed]
Also, investigations continue about the killing of Italian Military Intelligence service officer Nicola Calipari by United States troops during the liberation of Giuliana Sgrena and about the abduction and torture of terrorism suspect Abu Omar by CIA agents.[citation needed]
[edit] Relations with Russia
[edit] Relations with the People's Republic of China
In 2005, Italy and the People's Republic of China have celebrated the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations. However, China's massive exports of textile and footwear into Italy are said to be a rising concern to Italy's economy and productivity[2].
[edit] Relations with Croatia and Slovenia
Italy and Slovenia made progress in resolving bilateral issues[when?]; Croatia and Italy made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over property and ethnic minority rights.[when?]
Italy is in dispute with Croatia over the Croatian contiguous zone in the Adriatic Sea. Croatia invoked her contiguous zone in 2003, but soon came under pressure from Italy, because that would break an earlier agreement with Italy and Slovenia [3]. Today, the Croatian contiguous zone doesn't apply to EU countries, but that has automatically changed on January 1, 2008.[citation needed] According to Croatian officials, Italy has threatened Croatia to block its acceptance to EU.[citation needed] In the meantime, Italy invoked her own contiguous zone in Adriatic, without breaking the agreement on fishing zones.[citation needed]
On December 10, 2007, Italy published a stamp bearing the inscription "Fiume - terra orientale già italiana"[1] (meaning "Rijeka (city in Croatia) - eastern land once part of Italy"). This move caused strong protest from Croatia. Italy, where tens of thousands of Italian-speaking exiles from Histria, the Kvarner and Dalmatia live with their descendants, firmly refuses to revoke the stamp.
[edit] Relations with Israel
[edit] Political Cooperation
The relations between Italy and Israel, traditionally intense[citation needed], have registered during recent years a progressive reinforcement in all sectors, and the political dialogue has developed in the most extensive meaning of the word.[citation needed] Italian politicians and businessmen frequently visit Israel.[citation needed]
The Israeli Government has followed the fight against international terrorism pursued by the Italian Government (also in the European arena: the decision of Riva del Garda to add Hamas in the European list of organizations considered as terrorist).[when?]
It has also been appreciated what the Italian Presidency has done in the framework of the United Nations on the Middle Eastern issues.[citation needed]
Finally, Israel welcomed the coherent and firm line of conduct, on the part of all Italian institutions, in contrasting the emergence of anti-Semitism in every possible form.[citation needed]
[edit] Cultural Cooperation
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The Italian Culture enjoys in Israel the utmost attention. Israelis are constantly expressing a great demand and fondness towards cultural activities of the highest profile and all events organized during the last few years have been very well received.[citation needed]
Israelis know Italy well, and visit Italy frequently for motives of studies, work, tourism, or scientific and artistic interchange. The cultural demand is therefore sophisticated and strong, not only in the more classic sectors, but also in the modern and contemporary ones.[citation needed]
Such interests touch up with all the spheres of the Italian cultural life: from music to literature, from figurative art to architecture, from restoration to design, from cinema to fashion. The attraction towards Italian culture is present in diversified sectors of the population, including the younger generations. It is worthwhile to indicate in this context that only in the last ten years no less than 105 books of Italian authors were translated from Italian to Hebrew.[citation needed]
A special connection between Italian culture and the Israeli society has been constituted through the lively activity of the community of Italian Jews who immigrated to Israel: in particular the community in Jerusalem, consisting of about 5000 people. This community has given life to a cultural center, in vicinity to the Museum Umberto Nahon of Italian Jewish Art, popular among the Israeli public. The promotion of the Italian culture has therefore become pivotal also in the context of valorizing the antique and rich Jewish-Italian heritage, as well as deepening the collaboration with the Associations that represent the Jews of Italian origin in Israel, and including the large community of Jews from a Libyan origin (about 100,000 in Israel and 3,000 in Italy, about 70% of them of Italian culture). It is in this spirit that the Italian Cultural Institute initiated and organized a series of activities in the Cultural Center of the Jews of Libyan Origin in Or Yehuda, where recently a course of the Italian language has been launched.[citation needed]
In order to further amplify the circle of the audiences pursuing the cultural activities, the Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute have recently stimulated the creation of an Association titled "Amitei Italia" (Friends of Italy), organizing more than 15,000 people who know Italian language, love Italy and are interested in attending events in Italian and about Italy. This initiative stands side by side with the establishing, during last fall, of the "Club degli amici dell'Istituto Italiano di Cultura", that is, the "Club of the friends of the Italian Cultural Institute".[citation needed]
Particular attention is being given, in sinergy between the cultural sector and the scientific section of the Embassy, to the collaboration between the academic and scientific institutes of the two countries in the scope of launching mechanisms of interchange.
In 2004 the negotiations for the new triennial protocol (2004-2007) of the Bilateral Accord in the Cultural Sector in force as of November 1971.
The Italian Cultural Institute operates in Israel as of 1960 with its principal office at Tel Aviv and a separated section in Haifa. In 2004 the office of Tel Aviv has been transferred to the same building where the offices of the Embassy are situated, while in its other offices, located at the heart of Tel Aviv (Dizengoff 205) courses of the Italian language are being held.
The Italian language is being taught in various centers around the country. The total number of students studying in centers under the direct control of the Italian Cultural Institute on 2004 reached 1500, in 150 courses with 30 teachers. If the Dante Alighieri Society courses are considered, the figure reaches 2500 students.[citation needed]
Recently, the possibility of introducing the teaching of the Italian language in various high schools and academic institutes has been successfully negotiated. For the academic year 2005-2006 the Italian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv has achieved an agreement with the Interdisciplinary Center di Herzelya for the opening of three academic courses of Italian Culture and Language. Italian is also being taught in four of the seven universities in Israel: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Tel Aviv University, the Ben Gurion University in Be'er Sheva and the Haifa University.[citation needed]
The average of registrations of young Israeli students to Italian universities stands on about 400 per year, mainly in the sectors of medicine, law, science, politics, architecture, and art. The registrations for courses for the academic year 2004-2005 have seen a major increase of about 10%.[4]
[edit] Relations with the Pacific
On January 21, 2008, the Solomon Times reported that Italy had "pledged to convene an Italian-Pacific Islands Forum towards the end of 2008". The newspaper reported that Italy wished to "deepen [its] bilateral relations with Pacific Island countries". Italy has applied to be a dialogue partner of the Pacific Islands Forum, and attended a Forum meeting in Tonga in October 2007. A Memorandum of Understanding between Italy and the Pacific Islands countries exists as a commitment to provide development aid. [5] However, the fall of the Prodi government a few days after the publication of this article has left the future of Italy-Pacific Islands relations potentially uncertain.[citation needed]
[edit] International disputes
Investigations continue about the killing of SISMI service officer Nicola Calipari by United States troops during the liberation of Giuliana Sgrena and about the abduction and torture of terrorism suspect Abu Omar by CIA agents.[citation needed]
Still large popular resentment about alleged U.S. and French involvement in the crash of Itavia Flight 870 and subsequent cover-up over Ustica in 1980, as for the NATO-sponsored strategy of tension in the 70s-80s and the Cavalese cable-car disaster in the 90s.[citation needed]
Italy – wishing for a seat for the whole European Union – opposes the request of G4 nations (Brazil, Germany, India and Japan) for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, accusing them of buying votes of poorer countries using aid money.[citation needed]
[edit] Illegal immigration
Italian and Albanian authorities managed to basically stop the flow of illegal immigrants (such as Albanians and Kurds) and human trafficking from the Albanian coast to Italy, that have acquired great significance toward the end of the last century.[citation needed]
From the beginning of the current century the most important flow of immigrants come from the coasts and the illegal organizations of Libya.[citation needed] Although an Italian-Libyan agreement exists it is substantially ineffective, probably the failure of this collaboration is favoured by the not very good relationship between the two governments.[citation needed] However, as for almost all continental European countries, the numerically biggest flow come from terrestrial borders.[citation needed]
[edit] Illicit drugs
United States authorities allege Italy is an important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Italian soldiers leave for Lebanon Il Corriere della Sera, 30 August 2006
- ^ People's Daily Online - China-Italy relations experiencing "powerful acceleration": Fini
- ^ Croatia's Mesic suggests modification of proposed fishing zone likely (SETimes.com)
- ^ Embassy of Italy in Tel Aviv
- ^ "Italy to Convene Italian-Pacific Islands Forum", Joanna Sireheti, Solomon Times, January 21, 2008
[edit] See also
- Treaty of Osimo
- Treaty of Rapallo
- Iran-Italy relations
- Italian diplomatic missions
- List of diplomatic missions in Italy
