President Lee toasts “For Friendship” at Italian state banquet

While President Lee Jaemyung visited Italy on a state visit in conjunction with his attendance at the G7 summit, he attended a state dinner held at the Presidential Palace in Rome on the night of the 11th. The dinner was hosted by Italian President Sergio Mattarella. In his dinner remarks, President Lee noted the commonality between Korea and Italy in overcoming the wounds of war and achieving development, and said the two countries should work more closely together in the international community based on peace and cooperation. For his toast, he used an expression in Italian meaning ‘To our friendship.’ At the dinner, the ‘Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Knight Grand Cross,’ the highestlevel decoration awarded by the Italian government to a foreign head of state, was also presented. The event was attended by Korean business leaders, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jaeyong and Federation of Korean Industries Chairman Ryu Jin, as well as Italian figures including Ferrari Chairman John Elkann. The president is also scheduled to attend the KoreaItaly Business Roundtable in Rome on the 12th.