Italy toasts peace and friendship with India
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Ambassador of Italy Antonio Bartoli
With flowing Aperol Spritz and Berry Blast to beat the Delhi heat, hand fans in the colours of the Italian flag, a performance by the Indian Air Force band, and plenty of surprises – the Embassy of Italy celebrated its National Day in style.
External Affairs Minister
S Jaishankar
, who was the chief guest at the event, thanked Italy for its support and solidarity following the
Pahalgam terror attack
in April.
The Indian Air Force band opened the event with the national anthems of both countries
Jorgan K Andrews, Charge D'Affaires, US Embassy
Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner
'PEACE IS WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS IN THESE TIMES'
Italian Ambassador Antonio Bartoli thanked everyone for being present, especially S Jaishankar. 'Your presence is a sign of friendship that we appreciate. We celebrate this 79th anniversary of the Italian Republic. This is an opportunity to reaffirm the values of our democracy and commitment to peace and dialogue among nations.
Peace is what the world needs in these troubled times. These same values are the cornerstone of our strategic partnership with India.
The band of the Indian Air Force just played our national anthem. Having them on stage allows us to underscore our deep respect for Indian Armed Forces, our closeness to the victims' families, our strong rejection of any form of terrorism. ,' he said before concluding with a warm dhanyavad.
Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France
Jan Thesleff, Ambassador of Sweden
'THANKFUL FOR ITALY'S SOLIDARITY & SUPPORT'
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar began his speech by conveying his best wishes to people of Italy on their National Day. 'We are thankful for Italy's solidarity and support to India following the barbaric terror attack in Pahalgam, in Jammu & Kashmir. India gave a firm, resolute and measured response by destroying the relevant terror centres and launchpads. India's right to defend its people against acts of terrorism has also been recognised by countries across the world.
We believe that the world will have zero tolerance for terrorism,' he said and added, 'As someone who has often visited Italy, I am also struck by how similar we are as people, our common and mutual respect for civilisations, how we cherish our family bonds and traditions, our cuisine, our culture and our heritage.'
Peggy Frantzen, Ambassador of Luxembourg
Xu Feihong, Ambassador of China
Kevin Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland, Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland, Marje Luup, Ambassador of Estonia, Katharina Wieser, Ambassador of Austria
Following the formal addresses, the Indian Air Force band played popular Italian tunes while guests enjoyed a lavish spread of Italian cuisine. Later, renowned artist Franz Cerami presented a visual performance titled Locus Amoenus — a captivating blend of light and sound.
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