Italy is eager to boost international cooperation in the "non-polluting" space industry and its technologies which can boost growth, sustainable agriculture and help protect the environment, according to foreign minister Antonio Tajani.
"Space is a sector on which we are focussing on industrially, from a research point of view and from the point of view of international cooperation," Tajani told an Italy-Africa space-conference that kicked off in Rome on Monday.
"Space is a sector where we can do more, where we can cooperate more and training is also a crucial aspect. The aim is to create new professional skills capable of driving innovations," Tajani said.
The government is "strongly committed" to using space technologies to promote sustainable agriculture and the environment, Tajani underlined.
And Italy's companies are ready to make available "their best know-how" to Africa, Tajani underlined.
Italy is working to strengthen cooperation in the satellite telecommunications sector, where innovations have many benefits such as countering cyber attacks and boosting business, he noted.
"The issue of security should not be underestimated and I believe that it can also be a useful tool for collaboration between Italy and the African continent," Tajani underlined.
"We want to promote new synergies between institutions, science and industry in a systematic way," he went on.
"This is why I am very pleased that research institutions, the academic world, and the world of industry and innovation are here today," said Tajani.
The interchange of ideas and experience are key to success in scientific research, Tajani argued.
"This is space diplomacy," he underlined.
Research and science "are always bearers of peace." Tajani said.
"We are also at the forefront of multilateral efforts, first and foremost at the United Nations, for a peaceful, responsible and sustainable use of everything that happens in space," Tajani stated.
Space and its technologies are also linked to artificial intelligence, "the challenge of our time, which we want to be an opportunity for growth and development," he said.
"So talking about space means looking to the future, it means talking about international collaboration, Tajani continued.
Our foreign policy is an international policy. It is focused on growth, which we also want the space sector - a non-polluting industry - to be an instrument of," Tajani concluded.
