ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Italy have signed an agreement to abolish visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Italy Ali Javed and Italian Foreign Affairs Secretary General Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia signed the accord at a ceremony hosted at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome, according to an official handout.
Ahead of the signing, the two diplomats held one-to-one talks and reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral engagement and cooperation at multilateral platforms including the United Nations and European Union.
Both sides expressed satisfaction at the “substance, intensity and soaring trajectory” of their strategic cooperation, the statement said.
The agreement, they said, would facilitate smooth exchanges of diplomatic delegations and strengthen bilateral engagement. Officials termed the accord a reflection of mutual trust and friendship and an “excellent addition” to existing mechanisms for cooperation, it added.
Pakistan and Italy already have 15 government-to-government agreements in areas ranging from tourism and culture to science and technology, sports, higher defence studies and anti-narcotics cooperation. Other 21 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) exist between universities and think-tanks, the statement said.
It added that key existing frameworks included the Defence Cooperation accord signed in 2009, the Strategic Engagement Plan established by foreign ministers in 2013, and the Joint Economic Commission set up in 2005. Earlier treaties include the Investment Protection Treaty of 1997, the Dual Citizenship Agreement of 1983 and the Extradition Treaty of 1972.
Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2026
