His Excellency Mr Alberto Vecchi, the newly-designated Ambassador of Italy to Mauritius with residence in Pretoria, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Honourable Maneesh Gobin, on Tuesday 20 August 2024 at the Ministry.
Both dignitaries reviewed the bilateral relations between Mauritius and Italy, acknowledging recent positive developments in this regard.
Mauritius was included in the list of 35 countries eligible for non-seasonal work quotas in Italy for the 2023-2025 period, as per a Decree issued by the President of the Italian Council of Ministers on 27 September 2023.
Italy is home to a sizeable Mauritian diaspora, with the most recent official estimates recording approximately 10,000 Mauritians, primarily residing in the regions of Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Catania.
For the first time, Mauritius has been designated as a beneficiary of scholarships to study in Italy, under the Mattei Plan, which aims to strengthen cooperation between Italy and the African continent.
Moreover, to encourage more Italian tourists to visit Mauritius and to strengthen people-to-people and cultural ties, both countries are anticipating the introduction of seasonal direct flights between October 2024 and April 2025. Italy is Mauritius’ third-largest tourist market in Europe, with 30,000 Italian visitors recorded in 2023.
Minister Gobin highlighted the significant potential for enhancing economic relations between the two countries, particularly by positioning Mauritius as a financial and investment hub for channelling Italian investments into African economies. With its extensive network of double taxation avoidance agreements and investment protection treaties, Mauritius offers a safe, competitive and predictable jurisdiction for conducting international business.
Ambassador Vecchi emphasised Italy’s ambition to strengthen trade and investment ties with the African continent, as outlined in the Mattei Plan, which lays out Italy’s vision for Africa in the coming years.
The discussions also explored opportunities for collaboration in the blue economy, with Italy being the third-largest blue economy in Europe. Potential areas of cooperation between Mauritius and Italy include sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, and marine tourism.
