At the invitation of the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Matarella, the President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian and his wife Nouneh Sarkissian will leave for Italy on October 5 for a state visit. This is the first state visit of the President of Armenia to Italy during the 30-year history of the Republic of Armenia.

Presidents Sarkissian and Matarella are scheduled to have a private talk at the Quirinale Palace in the residence of the President of the Italian Republic, which will be followed by an extended meeting of the delegations. The Presidents of Armenia and Italy will make a statement to the press.

Within the framework of the visit, President Sarkissian is also scheduled to meet with the Chairman of the Italian Council of Ministers Mario Draghi. The President of Armenia will also meet with the President of the Italian Senate Maria Elizabeta Caselati, the President of the Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico, and the Mayor of Rome.

The meetings will focus on the deepening of bilateral relations, the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, regional issues and developments, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

During the visit, President Sarkissian will also be hosted at the Levonian College in Rome, where he will meet with representatives of the Armenian community.

Issues of deepening the cooperation in the educational and cultural spheres are also on the agenda of President Sarkissian’s state visit. At the University of La Sapienza in Rome, the President will attend the reopening of the Chair of Armenology, and will deliver a lecture at the University of Bologna.

An exhibition of works by great Armenian painters Hovhannes Aivazovsky, Gevorg Bashinjaghyan, Martiros Saryan, Vardges Surenyants and Hakob Kojoyan will open at the Quirinal Palace under the auspices of the Presidents of the Republic of Armenia and Italy.