Italy has decided to nominate Maurizio Martina to lead the FAO. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani delivered the news. According to Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, the Italian government has backed Martina's appointment as FAO Deputy Director in recent years. It is a decidedly bipartisan choice, given that Martina was previously secretary of the Democratic Party and Minister of Agriculture. Lollobrigida noted that Italy "deserved that role and that it deserves even more to lead a high-level international organization headquartered in Rome", despite the fact that Martina has "a different political history than ours". In the FAO, "my colleague, who has previously served as Minister of Agriculture, will be able to effectively represent the general interests of an organization that must address issues related to food security, with a particular emphasis on agriculture". "Maurizio Martina's candidacy to lead the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a decision that is of significant value to both our country and the international community", stated the Democratic deputies of the Chamber of Deputies' Agriculture Committee. "We are talking about a figure who combines institutional expertise, international experience, and a deep knowledge of agricultural and agri-food dynamics", they concluded.