<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Enrico Nunziata has said his country is interested in a long-term agreement with Bangladesh to supply LNG though the current situation in Europe allows collaboration on a short term basis.&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Of course, we are much more interested in a long-term agreement. The situation in Europe is a bit changed now. For the time being only, it is a possibility of collaboration in the short term,” he told UNB in an interview.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ambassador said his country wants to participate in energy sector cooperation and their company, ENI, is already shortlisted by Petrobangla for selling the LNG (liquefied natural gas) in private market.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We have worked a lot on that in Italy. So we have already some other sources of supply that can substitute the supply that we use quite from Russia. So when this will be again at a certain level, of course, we can start to export LNG in other markets,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Regarding Italy’s interest in offshore exploration, ambassador Nunziata said, “Yes, there are discussions but these are still at a level of proposal. We have to carry on with these discussions and see what will be the possibility there.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Regular Migration</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Italian ambassador said they are discussing a possible memorandum of understanding on mobility and migration, specially the content of this memorandum.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">“We want to go further in our cooperation on migration issues. In particular, creating and enlarging the existing legal channels or legal pathways for migration while stemming the irregular one,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The envoy said the two countries have to deepen the cooperation for preventing and fighting against the irregular migration, trafficking and so on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ambassador Nunziata remembered one of the deliverables during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Italy in 2020 - reinsertion of Bangladesh in the list of countries whose nationals can benefit of a quarter for work.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We have issued&nbsp; more than 12,000 visas for work from 2021-2022. Then there is a family reunion, business, and so on. But I'm focusing now on work. This new flow will call then families and so on. So this will carry on,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is a proposal on draft of a memorandum of understanding on security in general, the envoy said, noting the collaboration among the police forces of the two countries.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“So, we want a stronger cooperation. We want to promote exchange of best practices, exchange of trainings, talk to each other to know each other much better at the level of police forces,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>A Solid Relationship</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ambassador Nunziata said the relationship between Italy and Bangladesh are excellent and there are spaces for increasing the collaboration in some specific sectors. “This relationship is solid and has shown resilience during these years.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the trade, he said they have a very good commercial exchange that has doubled in 2022 compared to 2021 – more than 53% growth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“So during the 2022 and now 2023, we have already reached and increased the level of pre-pandemic time,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Talking about collaboration in the defense industry, he said there is possibility of collaboration and transfer of know-how as well on a win-win basis. “So this is another important sector.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ambassador said they are in pipeline to have a memorandum of understanding in the cultural sphere for programmes of cultural exchanges.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I don't know when it will be signed. It's not finalized, but we are really at the latest step to finalize an agreement in exchange of cultural programmes,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Traditionally, Italy has invested in the textile and garment sector but they are willing to provide expertise for the tannery sector, in particular for the sustainability of this industry and improve the quality of the treatment of leather to export to the European Union market.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On shipbuilding, the ambassador said they can build bigger ships for the defense or for the coastguard. “I mean this know-how that Bangladesh doesn't have yet. Together we can do more on that in the shipbuilding as well as in other sectors.” UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>