The Italian embassy in the Kingdom of Bahrain will be inaugurated on Thursday by a delegation, headed by undersecretary of state for foreign affairs Senator Alfredo Mantica.
Ambassador Angelo La Marte told Gulf News on Monday that Senator Mantica is expected to arrive in Bahrain on Thursday from Kuwait, where he will begin a two-day official visit Tuesday. A statement issued by the Italian embassy in Kuwait said Senator Mantica "will also be conferring with Kuwaiti officials on the current political developments," in the region.
Since his arrival in Bahrain in mid-February as the first Italian ambassador to Bahrain, La Marte has been handling the embassy official business from his residence in Al Adliya, a suburb of Manama. The new embassy premises are situated in the Al Salmanya area.
The ambassador said that it was only lately that Rome acknowledged the necessity of having a permanent mission in Bahrain, "the only GCC country which did not have an Italian embassy."
"Italy had to have an embassy here," he said, "because there have been many Italians doing business here but didn't have the official political support other foreign investors enjoy from their countries.
"Secondly, this area is important to us in the west; and the level of exports from Italy to Bahrain required the presence of a permanent mission in Manama."
In Bahrain, Senator Mantica is expected to meet with high-ranking officials to discuss regional and international issues. Following the inauguration of the embassy, he will head on to Iran for a similar visit, the daily concluded. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
