Italy holds training course on citizen protection for local, ASEAN officials

Rome (VNA) – An online training course on citizen protection services for high-level Italian and ASEAN officials opened on February 3, aiming to foster the ASEAN – Italy development partnership.

Co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Civil Protection Department of Italy, the course gathered nearly 20 experts from the bloc and Italy, including two Vietnamese.

On behalf of ASEAN ambassadors in Italy, Indonesian Ambassador and Chairwoman of the ASEAN Committee in Rome Andayani Esti lauded the meaning of the course, particularly when both sides are being impacted negatively by the climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Nguyen Thi Bich Hue took the occasion to share Vietnam’s priorities and experience in disaster management and COVID-19 prevention and control.

She expressed her belief that Italy, as the current President of the G20, will step up collaboration with ASEAN in a bid to realise the G20’s people-targeted goals in its 2021 agenda.

In September last year, the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting officially granted Italy the status of Development Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)./.