"Celebrating 75 years of a reality that has allowed young Italians and Americans to strengthen their knowledge of two allied countries must be an opportunity to reflect on two friendly countries' ancient relations." This is how Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani opened yesterday's celebration for the 75th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program, meeting at the Farnesina the Italian scholarship holders leaving for the United States and the US fellows who have reached the end of their journey in Italy. The minister emphasized the significant relationships that exist between nations such as Italy and the United States, which are united in their "defense of the principles of freedom and democracy." "The transatlantic alliance, a fundamental point of Italian foreign policy, is not just formality," said the head of Italian diplomacy, "but a strong relationship between peoples who represent two sides of the same coin, that of the West." Tajani emphasized that the Fulbright project was launched by US Senator James William Fulbright to "allow young Americans to learn more about Italy and vice versa, to create friendships and training." "The Fulbright program is important for strengthening our two countries' relationship as a means of dealing with upcoming global crises, and I appreciate Italy's commitment to cultivating the extraordinary partnership between Italy and the United States." These are the comments of Shawn Crowley, chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Italy, who describes the Fulbright commission in Italy as "one of the largest in Europe" with "over 14 thousand students, teachers, and researchers participating in the program."
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