Ambassador to Pakistan, Marilina Armellis, is on a visit to the country's second largest city, Lahore, capital of Punjab province, in a sign of Italy's strong interest in reinforcing and deepening already "excellent" bilateral relations.
Armellin is on Friday attending the inaugural event of Lahore's Literary Festival, which gathers leading writers, poets, artists and scholars from around the world in the city each year, the embassy said in a statement.
Since 2013, the festival has hosted two Nobel laureates, Orhan Pamuk and Abdulrazak Gurnah, and winners of the top UK 'Booker Prize' for literature including Ben Okri, Damon Galgut and Shehan Karunatalika, as well as many prominent Pakistani writers, the statement noted.
While in Lahore, Armellis will also hold "important" meetings with members of Lahore's business community, which has numerous trade ties with Italy. The envoy will visit major attractions in the city and surrounding area, said the statement.
Armellis' visit to Lahore "reflects the attention with which Italy views its excellent relations with Pakistan, which are to be further deepened and strengthened in area, all of which have enormous potential for mutual enrichment," the statement concluded.