The Italian government has stepped outside of the European Union and is offering Pacific nations direct development funding. The $US12 million grant over the next three years is to be used to tackle health and climate change issues across the region.
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The Italian government has also pledged to host meetings at the Pacific Islands Forum summit later this year to deepen relations. This new era of dialogue comes as Italy is being penalised for overfishing tuna from the Mediterranean, and there is speculation that they may be looking for new fishing interests abroad.
Speaker: The Italian Ambassador to Australia and the Pacific nations of Fiji, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, Mr Stefano Starace Janfolla.
