As a part of the 70th anniversary of Italia-Indonesia diplomatic cooperation, an ambassador of Italia for Indonesia attempts to introduce Italian culture. The Embassy of Italy in Jakarta conducted a public lecture for International Program for International Relations (IPIREL) at A.R. Fachruddin B Building of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogykarta (UMY). The public lecture was on “Italy and Indonesia: A Strategic Partnership for a Shared Future” and the speakers were Deputy Head of Mission and Head of the Economic and Commercial of the Embassy of Italy, Counselor Giovanni Brignone.
Head of Department of International Relations, Dr. Nur Azizah, M.Si. hoped that in the future Department of International Relations of UMY would have international cooperation with Italy, especially in education sector. She conveyed, “A partnership between Italy and UMY has not established yet, but we have organized several talks to actualize the cooperation, particularly with an Italian university. Actually, we have opportunities to have cooperation in fields of Pharmacy, Mechanical Engineering, and International Relations.”
Eventually, Department of International Relations of UMY has cooperated with several European countries. Hence, as the tagline says Muda Mendunia (Young and Global), such international cooperation has been implemented long time ago. “Hopefully, the cooperation between Italy and UMY is soon to be undertaken. Through a discussion with Mr. Giovanni, Insya Allah we will soon have a cooperation with a university in Napoli,”
Italy is a country having various historical buildings, namely Leaning Tower of Pisa, Colosseum in Rome, and others. Moreover, Milan of Italy is known as one of the world’s most important fashion capitals. Italy is also famous for its automotive industries and has produced many world-class automotive brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati, and Aprilia.
Giovanni stated that Italy’s diplomatic relations with various countries are a means to introduce and promote Italian products. “2019 is a special year because this marks the 70th anniversary of Italy-Indonesia relations. This is my first experience coming to Yogyakarta. Many Italian products have spread throughout Indonesia so that hopefully we could keep continue our good cooperation,” ended Giovanni.
