The time-honoured alliance between Italy and the United States is alive and well thanks to extensive bilateral ties binding the two nations, over 20 million American citizens with Italian origins and the many Italians in the US, ambassador Armando Varricchio said on Friday.
"As Italy's prime minister Giuseppe Conte stressed, the US is well aware that its relationship with Italy is an alliance based not only on history, but one which is nurtured every day by the many economic and cultural ties between the two countries" Varricchio told a conference in Rome.
"There are also many of our compatriots in the US as well as more than 20 million American citizens with Italian origins," Varricchio added.
Answering a question on whether the US viewed Italy as too 'pro-Russia', the envoy said: "Italy is naturally inclined to dialogue and has always cultivated a close relationship with Europe's big neighbour - the Russian Federation.
"We talk, we discuss, we seize opportunities, but we know where we are."
Varricchio was speaking at the three-day Conference of Italian Ambassadors taking place in Rome through Friday.
