PEOPLE | interview January 2022 17 www.bahrainthismonth.com including culture, space and health. More recently, in November 2021, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Marina Sereni, visited the Kingdom for talks and regional interest. Please tell us about the current status of trade between Bahrain and Italy? Statistics show that in 2021, Italy stands out as the top European supplier to Bahrain, while holding the ninth position globally. USD308 million of trade between the two countries was recorded in the first eight months of 2021. The sectors that contributed the most to this are the machinery sector and industrial equipment (40.2 percent), iron and steel products (9 percent), cars and motorbikes (5.2 percent), furniture (5 percent), pharmaceuticals (4.1 percent) and chemical products (3.1 percent). What are the most popular Italian products that are imported by Bahrain? Italy is famous for the world-renowned ‘Made in Italy’ designation and it is a delight to see how Bahrain deeply appreciates our high-quality products in a variety of sectors including fashion, design, furniture, food, technology and machines. As a vastly important logistic hub in the Gulf region, Bahrain provides our supply chain with outstanding opportunities. The Italian embassy recently held an Italian opera event in the Kingdom. Could you tell us about the role of cultural exchange between the two countries? Do you have any similar events planned in the near future? The cultural exchange plays a pivotal role. Bahrain has a very ancient history, with UNESCO sites and cultural institutions of great prestige and distinction. With regards to the Opera concert, it was an absolute pleasure to see how much the public appreciated this form of art. Soprano Laura Baldassari and pianist Sabrina Avantario performed some of the most beautiful arias in opera. I have had a strong passion for opera since I was young and I can assure you that I will do my very best to organise more. How many Italian citizens are currently residing in the Kingdom and with new strains of COVID-19 coming into play, do you see the number of Italian citizens in Bahrain increasing or decreasing over time? There are currently about 550 Italians in Bahrain. The number has not diminished due to COVID, and allow me to take this opportunity on behalf of the entire Italian community in Bahrain to thank the Bahraini leadership for the swift response during the pandemic through the vaccination campaign, which was made easily accessible. Which sectors of the economy are Italian nationals living in Bahrain engaged in? The Italian community is a truly hard-working, active and well-integrated, appreciated group of professionals. There is a pretty wide range of sectors they work in, including law, academics, business consultancy, engineering, architecture, healthcare and of course our famous hospitality industry! On a more personal note, we understand that you have a keen interest in Indian culture including Yoga and traditional dance. Could you tell our readers about this? Yes, this is true! I have travelled extensively around India. I practice Yoga, and I studied the classical dance Bharatanatyam, which is simply beautiful. I wish I could have more time to practice it. You are multi-lingual – can you share with us how many languages you speak and how you developed an interest in them? I love learning languages. I speak English, French and Spanish. I would love to speak Arabic as fluent as the other languages; I studied it for three years at the Egyptian Cultural Institute in Rome. Again, I wish I could have time to study and especially practice it.
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