Italy–Venezuela relations
Italy |
Venezuela |
---|
Italy–Venezuela relations are the diplomatic relations between
History
In 1498, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (in the service for Spain) explored the Paria Peninsula on his third voyage.[2] After the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1831, Venezuela became an independent nation. In March 1856, Venezuela opened a consulate in Naples and in 1857, Italy opened a consular legation in the city of Maracaibo and then a second consular legation in La Guaira in 1859.[2] In 1861, Italy and Venezuela signed a "Treaty of Friendship, Trade and Navigation".[2] Venezuela was the first country in Latin America to recognize the Kingdom of Italy.[2]
At the end of World War II, thousands of Italians left their homeland and immigrated to Venezuela with the majority settling in Caracas and Maracaibo.[3] Several prominent Venezuelan politicians and well-known figures are of Italian descent.
In 2017, the Venezuelan government protested against Italy's recommendation to release political prisoner Leopoldo López.[4] In March 2018, Italian Vice-Minister for Italians abroad, Luigi Maria Vignali, paid a visit to Venezuela to assess the situation of approximately 140,000 Italian citizens living in Venezuela under economic duress.[5] Since the crisis, over 50,000 Venezuelan citizens have immigrated to Italy, many of them also having Italian citizenship by descent.[6]
High-level visits
Presidential visits from Italy to Venezuela[7][8]
- President Giuseppe Saragat (1965)
- President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (1995)
Presidential visits from Venezuela to Italy[9][10][11]
- President Raúl Leoni (1965)
- President Carlos Andrés Pérez (1976)
- President Jaime Lusinchi (1988)
- President Hugo Chávez (1999, 2001, 2006)
- President Nicolás Maduro (2013, 2016)
Bilateral agreements
Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as a Treaty of Friendship, Trade and Navigation (1862); Agreement on Agrarian Cooperation (1985); Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation (1987); Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments (1990) and an Agreement on the avoidance of Double-Taxation and Tax Evasion (1990).[12]
Trade
In 2017, trade between Italy and Venezuela totaled US$338 million.[13] Italy's main exports to Venezuela are food based products. Venezuela's main exports to Italy include petrol, cement and coltan.[14]
Resident diplomatic missions
- Italy has an embassy in Caracas and a consulate in Maracaibo.[15]
- Venezuela has an embassy in Rome and consulates-general in Milan and Naples.[16]
See also
- Italian language in Venezuela
- Italo-Venezuelans
- Crisis in Venezuela (2012–present)
References
- ^ "Relaciones bilaterales entre Venezuela e Italia (in Spanish)". Archived from the original on 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
- ^ a b c d Relaciones bilaterales Italia y Venezuela (in Spanish)
- ^ La presenza italiana in Venezuela alla fine del XIX secolo e nei primi decenni del XX (in Italian)
- ^ Venezuela entregará nota de protesta a España, Alemania, Italia y Reino Unido (in Spanish)
- ^ Italia ofrece ayuda a sus ciudadanos en Venezuela para paliar la crisis (in Spanish)
- ^ Por qué tantos en Venezuela están eligiendo Italia para huir de la crisis (in Spanish)
- ^ El presidente de Italia, Giusseppe Saragat, llega a Venezuela (in Spanish)
- ^ Italia-Venezuela: Scalfaro afianza nexos mas alla de gobiernos (in Spanish)
- ^ Jaime Lusinchi in Visita in Italia (in Italian)
- ^ La visita del presidente venezolano (in Spanish)
- ^ Visitas de presidentes venezolanos al Vaticano en los últimos 30 años (in Spanish)
- ^ "Principales Acuerdos suscritos de carácter económico entre Italia y Venezuela (in Spanish)". Archived from the original on 2018-11-13. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
- ^ Venezuela Trade
- ^ "Venezuela inició exportación de coltán a Italia (in Spanish)". Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
- ^ Embassy of Italy in Caracas
- ^ Embassy of Venezuela in Rome