The Italian embassy in Doha will mark Italy’s 74th National Day Tuesday, highlighting further strengthening of relations between Qatar and Italy amid the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
June 2 marks the 74th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Italy – 'Festa della Repubblica' in Italian — a day celebrated in Italy and by Italian citizens abroad.
The anniversary commemorates the institutional referendum held by universal suffrage in 1946, in which the Italian people were called to the polls to decide on the form of government, following the World War II.
This year, in sign of respect for the victims of Covid-19, in Italy and in the world, and in compliance with social distancing measure, no major public events will take place.
The Italian embassy in Doha will celebrate the anniversary Tuesday with dedicated multimedia contents on its social media (Twitter @ItalyinQatar / Facebook page: Embassy of Italy in Doha).
“I celebrate with you today my first Italian National Day in Doha in a very exceptional context, far from what each of us could have ever imagined,” Italian ambassador Alessandro Prunas said in a statement.
“There is no doubt that Covid-19 has deeply affected Italy and the entire world. However, the pandemic has not undermined the founding principles of our democracy and the resilience of the Italian people,” he said.
“Italy continues to stand up for the core values of freedom, justice and equality, as well as peace and international co-operation.
“Italy and Qatar share a long-lasting and solid friendship, which contributes to reinforce the stability and safety of our countries and the prosperity of our people.
"Our close partnership has reached the highest levels in the exchange of visits between His Highness the Amir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who came to Qatar on a state visit last January,” the envoy noted.
Prunas recalled that when Italy was one of the first countries affected by the virus, His Highness the Amir was one of the first world leaders to call Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to offer and deliver help.
“Our countries continue working closely to support a full recovery of our societies and encourage growth of our economies. Italian companies and their Qatari business partners are fully aware that this health emergency is just a segment – even if a difficult one — of a very long and fruitful path,” the envoy noted.
“I am also pleased that some of the best institutions in Italy and Qatar in the field of science and medicine have partnered in the global fight against Covid-19. These medical researches along with other scientific and cultural collaborations are just few examples of people-to-people contacts that we can further develop to contribute to the wellbeing of our societies,” he added.
“Italy and Qatar will continue to count on each other to pursue common objectives and even exceed the outstanding results achieved together so far.”
"On the occasion of the Italian National Day, the Embassy of Italy in Doha is delighted to share with all the friends of Italy the special e-gift 'Le Piazze (In)visibili', edited by Marco Delogu, dedicated to the stunning beauty of art and architecture of Italian piazzas," the ambassador said.
The title 'Piazze (In)visibili' (Invisible squares) is inspired by the book Invisible Cities by renowned Italian writer Italo Calvino, a novel describing fictitious cities that are narrated by Marco Polo.
The volume features art photographs of twenty Italian piazzas, taken between the end of March and the beginning of May, when Italy, like much of the rest of the world, found itself in the difficult confinement phase.
The photographs are accompanied by short original texts by Italian writers connected to those places and piazzas by memories, experiences and literary references.
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