Italy Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano to Address AJC Global Forum 2017

NEW YORK, May 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Angelino Alfano, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, will address the AJC Global Forum 2017, which will take place June 4-6, in Washington, D.C.

The AJC Global Forum is the advocacy organization's signature annual event, bringing together more than 2,500 participants from across the United States and 70 countries around the world.

"We are honored that Foreign Minister Alfano will join us in Washington to share his perspective on regional and global challenges," said AJC CEO David Harris, who, most recently, met with the foreign minister in Rome last month. "Italy is one of the world's leading countries – a founding member of the European Union, a NATO member, a current member of the UN Security Council, a member of the G-7, and an active leader in the Mediterranean region."

AJC has long maintained an office in Rome, which is directed by Lisa Palmieri-Billig, and regularly engages with Italian diplomats across the U.S. The global Jewish advocacy organization meets with Italian officials, including most recently in Rome in April.

"The Italian-Israeli bilateral relationship is robust, with frequent visits of officials back and forth between the two countries, and extensive cooperation on security issues and on research and development. Minister Alfano has played a key role in expanding the partnership," said Harris. "Illustrative of the friendship was Italy's courageous decision, the first by a European country, to oppose the most recent UNESCO resolution on Jerusalem. Moreover, Minister Alfano has repeatedly demonstrated his determination to fight anti-Semitism in his country and across Europe."

Other world leaders confirmed to date to address the AJC Global Forum include:

• Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz
• Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, via video from Jerusalem, in conversation with five AJC young leaders
• Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General Luis Almagro
• Romanian President Klaus Iohannis
• Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan

AJC, founded in 1906 and with headquarters in New York, maintains 22 regional offices across the United States; 10 overseas posts; and 34 international association agreements with Jewish communities.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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