00:00I'm certain it will be a decisive moment to intensify our relations and make them even more sound, long-lasting and strategic.
00:12And this is not a path that begins today, but one we have been pursuing together for some time.
00:20Now, Italy was the first nation in the EU to decide to invest in relation with Central Asia and its individual member nation, launching a permanent format in order to share ideas.
00:38We have shown the way, and our example has indeed led the path, as proven by the first EU-Central Asia Summit last April,
00:53which not surprisingly elevated the relations between the region and the European Union to a strategic partnership.
01:01We are proud of this choice, since the capacity to create bridges and opportunities for dialogue by exploring avenues that others have not had the courage to pursue is in the DNA of Italian people.
01:24This is a legacy we learned from one of the most famous Italians in history, Marco Polo,
01:34who centuries ago crossed these lands to reach the farthest borders in the then-known world.
01:43There is no better symbol to describe what we celebrate today.
01:47cooperation, vision, responsibility, but also the ability to look beyond the horizon and to learn to understand others.
