Distinguished members of the EU-Japan Fest Board, Fellow Ambassadors, Dear guests, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you this evening to the residence of the Ambassador of Italy in Tokyo.
As you can see, this is a place where Italian and Japanese architecture, culture and art blend in perfect harmony, but it is also a crossroad of dialogue, a platform where to exchange ideas and promote joint initiatives to strengthen the relations between Japan and Italy, Japan and Europe.
In this perspective, we are extremely pleased to host tonight an event to express gratitude to the EU-Japan Fest, an institution that in over thirty years of relentless activity has proved to be a champion in strengthening the ties between Japan and Europe.
Dear friends, by promoting incalculable projects of dialogue, exchange, and collaboration among artists, institutions, and citizens in conjunction with the European Capitals of Culture, your work has been instrumental in making possible experiences of encounter and cultural cross-fertilization that deeply enriched our societies.
In that regard, let me recall and thank once more the EU-Japan Fest for its active role played on the occasion of the nomination of Matera as European Capital of Culture in 2019. Through a successful cooperation with Mr. Alberto Giordano – who is here with us tonight – Matera hosted numerous events featuring artists, musicians, and performers from Japan, creating a rich dialogue that engaged the city and its surrounding territory.
This year, we celebrate as European Capitals of Culture Gorizia and Nova Gorica as well as Chemnitz. As always, it is a moment of great pride for Europe, but particularly for Italy, Slovenia and Germany. Once again, we are very pleased and honored to be able to count on a wide program of initiatives curated by the EU-Japan Fest, which will span until March next year. Thank you very much!
As we all know, this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the European Capitals of Culture initiative, a program that over four decades, has become a symbol of unity, mutual understanding, joint creativity, and cultural dialogue across the European continent.
These elements are particularly visible this year, since Gorizia-Nova Gorica is the first trans-border Capital of Culture. These cities, that are historically and culturally inter-twined, have been transformed into a laboratory of creativity, hospitality, and innovation, thanks to a rich program of events, exhibitions, performances, and initiatives involving artists and cultural operators from all over Europe.
I am confident that, thanks to the additional initiatives supported by the EU-Japan Fest, Gorizia-Nova Gorica will be a unique example of how art and culture can unite peoples, overcome borders, and build new prospects for international collaboration.
Thank you for your presence and your commitment. I wish you an evening full of encounters and new inspirations, hoping that this occasion may be the beginning of further joint projects between Europe and Japan.