- Pakistan, Italy strengthen ties via diplomatic passport accord.
- Cooperation at bilateral, multilateral forums reviewed.
- Italy labour pact offers 10,500 jobs quota for Pakistanis.
ROME: Pakistan and Italy have signed an agreement abolishing visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports.
A statement issued by the Pakistani embassy in Rome read that the agreement was signed by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Italy, Ali Javed, and Italy’s Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia.
The ceremony was hosted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ahead of the signing, the two officials held talks and reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and cooperation at multilateral forums, including the United Nations and the European Union, the embassy said.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the substance and growing momentum of strategic cooperation between the two countries and described the agreement as a reflection of mutual trust and friendship. They said the accord would facilitate smoother exchanges of diplomatic delegations and further strengthen bilateral engagement.
According to the statement, Pakistan and Italy currently maintain a broad framework of cooperation. Twenty-one memorandums of understanding have been signed between universities and think tanks, while 15 agreements between the two governments cover areas including tourism, culture, science and technology, sports, higher defence studies and cooperation against drug trafficking.
It further stated that the two countries signed a defence cooperation agreement in 2009, established a Strategic Engagement Plan between their foreign ministers in 2013 and set up a Joint Economic Commission in 2005. Other key agreements include a treaty on the protection of investments reached in 1997, a dual citizenship agreement signed in 1983 and an extradition treaty concluded in 1972.
The embassy also noted that Pakistan and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding on labour mobility and migration in Islamabad on May 7, 2025. It was described as Pakistan’s first labour accord with a European country and allows Pakistani workers to compete for a country-specific quota of 10,500 jobs in Italy.
During the meeting, Ambassador Javed conveyed an invitation from Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary to Guariglia to visit Pakistan for the seventh round of Bilateral Political Consultations. He also expressed Pakistan’s readiness to hold the consultations in the final quarter of 2026.
According to the embassy, the ambassador also expressed interest in inaugurating Italy’s newly built embassy in Islamabad, which it described as Italy’s largest diplomatic mission overseas, underscoring the importance of relations between the two countries.
