Assahafa.com
For Pasquale Salzano, Italy’s new ambassador to Morocco, Rabat is not just a posting but a frontline partner in a wider regional strategy. “Italy and Morocco share the ambition of making the wider Mediterranean a space of stability, cooperation, and innovation,” Salzano declared in an exclusive interview with Morocco World News (MWN).
Salzano took up the Rabat post last July, and his mandate is expected to operationalize the 2019-2023 strategic framework – spanning migration facilitation, energy and industrial partnerships, and cultural exchange – with a strong economic orientation.
A seasoned diplomat and accomplished manager, Salzano previously served as Italy’s Ambassador to Qatar from 2017 to 2019.
Prior to his current appointment, he chaired Simest and occupied senior positions at Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP). The Italian government recognized his distinguished service in 2010 with the honor of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
When asked about the current state of relations between Rome and Rabat as the bicentennial falls this year, Ambassador Salzano described 2025 as “an invitation to reflect not only on two centuries of diplomatic relations, but also on the horizon we wish to shape together.”
“Our dialogue has always adapted to changing circumstances, and the strength of this partnership lies precisely in its ability to renew itself over time,” he asserted.
The bicentennial, he suggested, is a chance “to turn history into a forward-looking project, one that connects our peoples, economies, and cultures in even deeper ways.”
He also placed Italy’s respect for Morocco’s trajectory in clear terms. “Italy holds in high regard the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI,” he said, recalling twenty-five years of reform and modernization that have positioned Morocco as a regional hub.
Investments in renewable energy, infrastructure, human capital, and the empowerment of women and youth form part of that story.
In Salzano’s view, Morocco has become “a bridge between Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic,” a vision that resonates with Italy’s own approach to the wider Mediterranean, “where we see Morocco as a strategic partner in building stability and growth.”
In this sense, the agenda is tilting green and Mediterranean. Italian policymakers have long talked about Morocco as a pivotal partner in the “enlarged Mediterranean” and Africa strategies – complementing EU decarbonization goals and Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa.
Energy and industrial cooperation (from renewables to grid interconnections and sustainable supply chains) feature prominently in Italian strategic commentary on Morocco; they build on Rabat’s fast-rising renewable mix and on Italian corporate capabilities across power, engineering and capital goods, alongside cultural diplomacy through the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Rabat.
200 years of bilateral ties
Such forward-looking discussions come as the diplomatic relationship between Italy and Morocco completes its second century, tracing its origins to an 1825 Sardinia-Morocco treaty of friendship, trade, and navigation.
Signed in Fez and accompanied by the establishment of a permanent Sardinian consul in Tangier, this historic agreement forms the foundation for this year’s bicentenary celebrations, which are being orchestrated by Italian institutions in Rabat.
Through the late 1800s, the Alaouite court dispatched several embassies to the newly unified Kingdom of Italy as part of Morocco’s broader strategy to rebalance foreign relations amid intensifying European influence in the Maghreb.
Italian and Moroccan diplomats maintained a dense consular traffic around Tangier and the Strait, and by 1912, Rome and Paris codified “reciprocal relations” over Libya and Morocco, with Italy acknowledging the French protectorate even as it consolidated itself in Tripolitania.
After Morocco gained independence in 1956, bilateral relations normalized on a sovereign footing, soon anchored by early post-independence commercial accords in 1958 and a comprehensive legal framework that evolved over subsequent decades.
Bilateral goods trade has scaled up fast
Economic ties between the two nations have flourished remarkably. Bilateral trade has accelerated rapidly in recent years, with Italian and Moroccan sources reporting approximately €5 billion in total merchandise flows in 2024, a substantial increase from roughly €2.75 billion in 2020.
Italy exported approximately $3 billion to Morocco in 2024, while Morocco sold roughly €2 billion-plus back to Italy. The first quarter of 2025 witnessed a modest soft patch on both sides.
This commercial relationship exemplifies perfect complementarity. Italy’s top shipments to Morocco are refined petroleum, semiconductor devices, insulated wire, as well as machinery and equipment, while Morocco’s sales to Italy reflect its export profile – cars and components, fertilizers/phosphates, electrical equipment (notably wiring harnesses), and agri-food.
These patterns align with Morocco’s broader export basket and global value-chain role in autos and agro-industry. A double-taxation treaty signed in Rabat on June 7, 1972 (ratified in 1981) undergirds investment and trade flows.
The partnership ascended to new heights on November 1, 2019, when the two countries’ foreign ministers signed a Joint Declaration establishing a “multidimensional strategic partnership.”
This framework was further solidified on July 5, 2023, when Rome and Rabat adopted an Action Plan to implement that partnership across diplomacy, justice and security, economy, energy and sustainable development, culture and academia, migration and consular cooperation.
Italy publicly hailed Morocco as a “strategic partner” for Mediterranean stability and praised the “serious and credible” Moroccan efforts regarding the Sahara dossier – language that signaled closer alignment in a sensitive file.
Moroccan diaspora emerges as diplomacy’s living daily proof
For Salzano, the Moroccan community in Italy stands as proof that diplomacy is lived not only in chancelleries but also in daily life. He described the community as “one of the largest and most vibrant in Europe,” noting its contribution not only to the Italian economy but also to the cultural and social fabric of Italian cities.
Families, businesses, and cultural exchanges, he said, form “a living bridge between our nations.” And this is ultimately a presence that Italy regards as a strength and a resource that enriches both societies while deepening mutual understanding, he stressed.
On mobility more broadly, he framed Italy and Morocco as sharing a pragmatic approach. Both countries, he explained, are working together to guarantee safe, orderly, and regular migration – transforming movement across the Mediterranean into “an opportunity for prosperity on both shores.”
This community comprises approximately 412,000 residents as of January 1, 2024, with significant concentrations in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, and Veneto.
Between 2005 and 2024, this substantial diaspora in Italy sent about €6.9 billion in remittances to Morocco. According to Bank of Italy statistics covering the four most recent quarters (a full year ending in March 2025), Morocco ranks among the top recipients of money transfers from foreign workers in Italy, accounting for 6.9% of all outbound flows.
In March 2024, the two governments signed a mutual recognition agreement for driving licenses – small but practical consular diplomacy that eases daily life for thousands and signals attention to integration issues.
These social strands feed back into commerce and local development (remittances, entrepreneurship, agri-food and services), and they give both governments a permanent constituency for the partnership. This agreement officially entered into force on June 3 this year.
The 2030 World Cup becomes a bridge of partnership
Looking ahead, Salzano cast the future of the Italian-Moroccan partnership as a field wide open with possibilities. “The scope for expanding our partnership is vast,” he remarked, pointing to trade, investment, renewable energy, and advanced industries such as automotive and digital technologies as natural frontiers.
Just as important, he added, are higher education, scientific research, and cultural exchange – areas that promise to knit the two societies even more closely together.
He also placed Morocco’s hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup within this forward-looking frame. From infrastructure and sustainable mobility to digital services and tourism, he called it “a global event that can open new avenues of Italian-Moroccan collaboration.” Italy, he concluded, is prepared to step in as “a reliable partner in this endeavor.”
Salzano looked ahead to the bicentennial year with a sense of purpose, framing 2025 as both a celebration and a forward-looking project. He noted that it “will be marked by cultural initiatives and institutional moments celebrating two hundred years of diplomatic relations,” while also confirming that new agreements are being prepared in energy, innovation, and university cooperation.
For him, the ambition is “twofold: to further strengthen political dialogue and to promote direct connections between companies, universities, and research centers.” This dual track – “political and socio-economic,” as he labeled it – offers the most effective way to renew a historic friendship and translate it into shared growth for the future.
Bicentennial year marks renewal of historic bilateral friendship
In his initial weeks as an ambassador, Salzano leaned into the bicentenary narrative, delivering his first public address aboard the Italian Navy’s San Giusto in Casablanca and underscoring “tangible opportunities” for Italian firms in Morocco’s infrastructure, energy, mobility, and digital transitions.
His early cultural diplomacy has included a visit to the Chellah archaeological site with Moroccan partners, commemorating 10 years of joint preservation work.
Security cooperation has also intensified, with police chiefs meeting in June 2024 to address cross-border crime. Additionally, the CDP/AfDB co-financing agreement signed in Rabat in December 2024 demonstrates Italy’s commitment to Morocco through the lens of the Mattei Plan.
This year’s 28th edition of the Fez World Sacred Music Festival also saw Italy chosen as the guest country, under the theme “Renaissances” or “Rinascimento.”
As he embarks on his diplomatic mission, Ambassador Salzano encapsulates his vision: the Rabat-Rome diplomatic corridor now runs on three rails – strategic dialogue, real-economy integration, and societal interdependence. This, he suggested, gives the ever-improving Morocco-Italy ties unusual breadth for two mid-Mediterranean partners.
“To Rabat I bring with me the profound value of the encounter between people and cultures, in the belief that Italy and Morocco, between the Mediterranean and Africa, can build together a modern, authentic relationship rich in a shared future,” the ambassador declared during his appointment last July.
Source: Morocco word news
