REMARKS BY H.E. AMBASSADOR GIOVANNI CASTELLANETA
At Italian Embassy, Washington, DC

Distinguished Authorities, Dear Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we celebrate, on this festive occasion, the 63rd anniversary of the Republic of Italy.

This recurrence comes in a somewhat difficult year: the global economic crisis is still afflicting our markets, And the international challenges brought by climate change, terrorism, stability and security still hold the attention of world governance.

Italy, as President of the G8, and the United States under the new Obama Administration, find themselves together once again, in theaters of military operations to multilateral fora where the challenges of our times are discussed, and on the road defending and promoting the values of a free and democratic world.

Today’s celebration has for us Italians, however, a special meaning. In fact, we wished to dedicate it to the commemoration of the victims of the earthquake that struck l’Aquila this past April 6.
Our thoughts go to the thousands of Abruzzesi that are still in temporary shelters and far from their homes. Our appreciation goes out to all those who, in Italy and in America, have dedicated to the emergency and to the reconstruction their commitment and their human, material, psychological, moral and economic support.

Of this special dedication we have today in this Embassy many symbols and witnesses. We wish first to thank with particular warmth our colleagues from the Department of Civil Protection, Luigi D’Angelo and Barbara Altomonte who arrived just yesterday from the stricken area and who have brought us, through a video that we will be showing over the course of the evening, images of the most intensive moments of this dramatic event.

 And it is thanks to them, to all the most active forces of the country, to the resolve and dignity of the stricken populations, all bound in a renewed cohesiveness to face the tragedy, that the emergency management phases were so effectively and quickly completed so that we could move immediately toward reconstruction. And,  above all, it is thanks to them that the Government of Italy will be able to host the G8 Summit in l’Aquila this coming July, just six months after the tragic event.

I wish to again thank Dr. Mario Resca, Counselor of the Minister of Culture, for his determination to bring to us, in only five days and accompanied by its curator, Dr. Francesca Capanna, the splendid Beffi triptych that you are welcome to admire in the Auditorium. This 14th century masterpiece of Italian art, saved from the wreckage of the National Museum of Abruzzo,  symbolizes better than anything else the heritage of civilization damaged by the quake and the desire to defend, preserve and have it glow once again, because it is our identity.

Lastly I wish to thank, on behalf of the people and Authorities of Italy, for their generosity, solidarity, and support to the stricken population and to the reconstruction: the United States of America, its Authorities, the Italian American communities, individual citizens. The Mobilization was vast and immediate. Everyone has our acknowledgement and our renewed commitment to ensure that the funds gathered will reach their immediate and needy priorities, -such as the recovery and adoption of individual treasures that have been damaged, -and assistance and support to the young generation of high school and university students deprived of their schools and learning facilities as a result of the quake.

In evidence of our intention to keep our vision focused on the future, with willful optimism and in the comfort of having alongside us a friendly nation, I wish to thank the young boys and girls from the Cornerstone School and from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, who will shortly sing for us, and the young Daklen Difato, a prodigious pianist from Italy, who hails from the southern part of Italy devastated by the earthquake. For those who wish to hear him play, he will be doing so in the Auditorium later this evening.

I wish to conclude by thanking everyone who made this spectacular June 2nd celebration possible,
the Italian Cultural Institute here in Washington, that together with Rome’s cultural association, Colosseum, have organized the exhibition ‘Italian Knots’ a historical survey of the tie that is on display here tonight, all my collaborators, all the staff of this Embassy, the Consulates,and  the Italian Institutions in the United States.

I join them, glad and proud to celebrate with you the National Day of Italy.

God Bless America e Viva l’Italia!