Latest news with #AntonioBartoli
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
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.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Italian National Day: A night of lights, music, and unity in Delhi
Even the sultry weather in Delhi didn't dampen the spirits of dignitaries who gathered on Wednesday for the Italian Republic Day reception at the residence of Italian ambassador Antonio Bartoli. Paper fans in shades of Italy's flag were provided to guests upon arrival, helping them stay cool as they mingled. The atmosphere was lively and festive, enhanced by the Indian Air Force band's performance of some classic 'jugalbandi' tunes. Another highlight of the evening was when Franz Cerami, a world-renowned artist, presented a specially crafted visual performance for this event. Locus Amoenus promised to be a one-of-a-kind experience of light and sound. The culinary offerings were a true Italian affair, with dishes such as baked lasagne, tiramisu, and wild mushroom risotto. Chief guest of the evening, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, began his speech by extending best wishes to the government and people of Italy on the occasion of their National Day. He expressed gratitude for Italy's solidarity and support to India following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to Operation Sindoor, India's measured response to the attack, he said: 'India gave a firm, resolute and measured response by destroying the relevant terror centers and launch pads. India's right to defend its people against acts of terror has also been recognised by countries across the world. We believe the world must have zero tolerance for terrorism and cross-border terrorism.' On the occasion, Bartoli remarked, 'This is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the values of democracy. Italy is dedicated to peace and dialogue among nations, which is what the world needs most in these troubled times. The band of the Indian Air Force just played our national anthems, and having them on stage underscores our deep respect for the Indian armed forces and our closeness to the victims' families. We stand in strong rejection of any form of terrorism.'
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
06-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Pahalgam attack interrupted normalisation in Kashmir: Italian envoy backs India in fighting terror
In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Italian Ambassador to India Antonio Bartoli condemned the Pahalgam attack and noted how the terror incident interrupted developments and interests of Kashmir. read more Italian Ambassador to India Antonio Bartoli (L) condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. (Right) Security ramped up following the massacre of tourists in Kashmir. (Image: X / AP) The terror attack in Pahalgam last month, killing 26 people, interrupted 'development and interests' of Jammu and Kashmir, said Italian Ambassador to India Antonio Bartoli on Tuesday in New Delhi. Expressing Italy's solidarity with India, Bartoli condemned the devastating Pahalgam terror attack. In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost's Bhagyasree Sengupta, Ambassador Bartoli said Italy is against all forms of terrorism and recalled how the European nation itself has faced the horrors of terrorism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We are against any form of terrorism because we experienced in our scheme terrorism, the cruelty of terrorism, and so we actually support, first of all, we are close to the families and the Government of India for this attack,' the Italian envoy told Firstpost. Ambassador Bartoli mentioned that Italy is working closely with the Indian government and has proposed a common session to discuss how to fight terrorism. 'We have proposed to have a common session with Italy on terrorism,' he said. On April 22, terrorists infiltrated a tourist destination in Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam and killed 26 tourists, sending shockwaves across India. The attack led to a major diplomatic row between India and Pakistan after it was found that some of the terrorists involved in the attack were Pakistani nationals. During the conversation with Firstpost, the Italian envoy noted how the latest attack has interrupted the development interests of both Kashmir and India. 'This dynamic (attack) that is done to counter the interests of India in its development and the interests of Kashmir itself, which was experiencing normalisation in terms of elections, tourism and job opportunities, etc, has been interrupted,' the Italian ambassador told Firstpost. 'We think that we all should avoid encountering terrorism, avoid triggering spirals that then can go out of control,' he furthered. 'Concrete results on concrete focus': Ambassador Bartoli on India-Italy ties When asked about the evolution of the India-Italy relationship over the years, Ambassador Bartoli noted that both nations have a concrete focus on concrete results. 'The India relationship is very good because we have a strategic partnership, and we are about concrete focus on concrete results. That's why the two prime ministers met last November,' the Italian envoy told Firstpost. Bartoli pointed out that the talks in November were the fifth direct meeting between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the span of two years. 'They signed a plan of action, so homework for the two governments with precise objectives and precise areas where to develop our collaboration,' he added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When asked further about the key areas of collaboration, Ambassador Bartoli said: 'The areas are trade and investments. We want to raise the trade and investment relationship in both directions. The other areas of collaboration are in mobility, in space and defence as a priority sector,' Bartoli told Firstpost. 'We are also focusing on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), where Italy is one of the key terminals, like India. We are focusing on collaboration in science and technology. We just had a business in the Science and Technology forum to increase the relationship between our universal research and IT innovation,' he added. The Italian envoy noted that the country is planning to create an innovation sector in India to 'foster the dialogue between the innovation ecosystem'. 'We are translating all these programs into concrete actions,' he concluded. The conversation took place on the sidelines of the launch of the Global Access to Talent from India (GATI) Foundation in New Delhi. It is a non-profit Foundation dedicated to building structured, ethical, and circular pathways for global talent mobility. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
