(March 7, 2017) The Fvg institutional mission in Latin America began on March 6, and will end on March 9: a mission dedicated to fellow countrymen who live in Uruguay and Argentina, and a series of high-level meetings in Montevideo and Buenos Aires. To confirm the strong link between Friuli Venezia Giulia and Uruguay is the news that today comes from Montevideo, the two countries will prepare a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation in the cultural field. The decision to work in conjunction with a protocol that raises the partnership between the Italian Region and the South American Country was taken, in fact, during the meeting that President Debora Serracchiani had, along with regional councilor for Culture, Sport and Solidarity Gianni Torrenti, the Minister of Education and Culture Maria Julia Muñoz. The agreement will take shape on the issues of cooperation in higher education, taking advantage of the scientific excellence and innovation potential that Friuli Venezia Giulia can put in on the table with its university and research system, with particular attention to the issue of the restoration, in which Uruguay - as confirmed by the minister – is interested in a special way. The Protocol will merge under the excellent relations that exist between Uruguay and Italy and exploits the role that Friuli Venezia Giulia has carved, at the international level, where the autonomous region, "is able - has reminded Serracchiani - to initiate a special relationship with interlocutors such as Bavaria (the only Italian region to boast of a bilateral agreement with the Land), Serbia, Iran and the US, that with its universities launched a specific cooperation in the field of research and of innovation". (PO / red)

ABOUT / THE MEETING WITH AMBASSADOR PICCATO

"Today we plant a seed that will allow us to work together in the coming months and years ahead, reinforcing the present and the future of those strong ties that the people of Friuli Venezia Giulia has gained with Uruguay in its history", had previously stated President Serracchiani in her first meeting in Montevideo with fellow countrymen representatives in the study of the Italian ambassador Gianni Piccato. Among the attendees, Renato Palermo and Claudio Melloni, respectively representatives of CGIE (General Committee of Italians Abroad) and COMITES Uruguay, Mario Mattiussi, President of EFASCE (Ente Friulano cultural welfare emigrants) Uruguay and Bernardo Zannier, President of Famee Furlane of Montevideo, which is headed by Ente Friuli nel Mondo, who were joined in the next breakfast at the hotel Palladium by, among others, Gianfranco Premuda, president of the local club of the Association Giuliani nel Mondo. Ambassador Piccato recalled that the Italian passports in Uruguay are 114,800 and more than 80 associations of which more than 50 registered, are Italian. A presence very relevant within which Friuli Venezia Giulia, originating fellow exert a recognized and valuable function, which was reaffirmed at the reception given by the office in which they are exercised even the consular activities.