Italy "has an interest in ensuring that Sri Lanka can recover after the 2020 default, because economic instability is obviously followed by an increase in illegal immigration channels". This was said by Damiano Francovigh, Ambassador of Italy to Sri Lanka, on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of Italian Ambassadors and Ambassadors of Italy in the World, underway at the Farnesina.
Francovigh added that 'legal channels, on the other hand, make it possible to bring into our country those human resources that are fundamental in certain economic sectors,' such as tourism-hotels, personal services or skilled labour.
The presence of Sinhalese in Italy "is historical, and dates back to the 1970s," recalled the ambassador, and constitutes one of the ties "that unite us to this country and is also a resource, because it contributes to the growth of the Italian economy".
The "legal diaspora from Sri Lanka," he continued, "is about 130,000 people, but if we add the irregular one we can reach a figure of about 200,000", while the number of visas issued this year "is about 5,000". Our country, concluded Francovigh, "has a strong attractiveness" and therefore the number of requests "can reach a higher figure: the presence of a strong community represents a sort of magnet for those who have relatives or friends in Italy".
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