Utente:MartinaPs99/Sandbox
Italy-Syria relations is the official relationship between Italy and Syria
Country Comparison[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
| Italy | Syria | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 60,579,711 | Estimate 17,500,657 |
| Population density | 200 km/2 | 118.3 km/2 |
| Area | 301,338 km/2 | 185,180 km/2[1] |
| Capital | Rome | Damascus[2] |
| Largest city | Rome (2,860,009) [3] | Aleppo (1,602,264) [4] |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary republic | Unitary semi-presidential Ba’athist republic under a hereditary dictatorship [5] |
| Current leader | President: Sergio Mattarella
Prime minister: Mario Draghi |
President: Bashar al-Assad
Prime minister: Hussein Arnous |
| Official language | Italian | Arabic |
| Established | Unification 17 March 1861
Republic established 2 June 1946 |
Arab Kingdom of Syria: 8 March 1920
State of Syria under French mandate: 1 December 1924 Syrian Republic: 14 May 1930 De jure Independence: 24 October 1945 De facto Independence: 17 April 1946 Left the United Arab Republic: 28 September 1961 Ba'ath Party takes power: 8 March 1963 Current constitution: 27 February 2012 |
| Main religion | 83.3% Christianity
12.4% non-religious 3.7% Islam 0.6% Other religions [6] |
87% Islam
10% Christianity [7] |
| Ethnic groups[9] | 93.5% Italian
1.5% Romanian 1% North African 4% Other |
90% Arab/Levantines
10% Other |
| GDP | $2.074 trillion ($34,318 per capita) | $24.6 billion ($2,807 per capita[10]) |
| Gini coefficient | 35.2[11] | 37.5 (2003)[12] |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Syrian Pound (SYP) |
History[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
The first contact between two organized political entities in the territories of Italy and Syria was in the decade before the conquest of Pompeo Magno of the Seleucid Kingdom in 64 b.C. During this period the Romans tried to make the Realm into a client Kingdom by exploiting the rivalries between the realms of the region. After these conquests, the Syrian territory became part of the Roman Mediterranean system.[13]
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the relations between the peninsula and Syria stagnated until the rise of the Maritime Republics that built their wealth on the commerce with the Middle East. Starting from the XI century, Amalfi’s merchants were present in various forms in every major port of the region from which they traded spices, jewelry, and carpets.[14]
Afterward, and until the opening of the oceanic route for commerce, the bond between the ports of Syria and those of the Italian Republics made both of them among the wealthiest cities in the world at the time.[15][14]
With the beginning of the decline of the Italian maritime Republics, in the 1500s, the relationship between the European nations and the Ottoman Empire, in which the territories of Syria were included, deteriorated once again.
In the 1900s, during the Sanremo Conference, which took place from the 19th to the 26th of April 1920 the Allied Supreme Council of War, composed of Italy, France, United Kingdom, United States, and Japan, met to discuss the situation of the Middle East after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the declaration of independence of the Arab Kingdom of Syria with the Coronation of King Faisal I on 8th March 1920.[16]
Diplomatic Relations[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
After the beginning of the Syrian civil war, in 2012 Italy decided to shut down its embassies and withdrew its diplomatic body from the Syrian territory[17], declaring that in virtue of the worsening of the situation[18] Italy did not recognize al-Assad’s regime as legitimate and refused to intervene in the region, contrary to other NATO members. Still, some political groups in Italy support the Syrian regime, for instance, neo-fascist groups and the Italian Communist Party[19].
The Syrian embassy in Italy is located in Rome, whereas the consulate is located in Milan[20].
In 2011, the European Union adopted a decision (2011/273/CFSP) imposing an embargo on the export of weapons and instruments which could be useful for internal repression, it has forbidden any form of technical and financial assistance, it has frozen the assets, and the economic resources of those individuals held accountable for the repression of the Syrian population, and it has imposed restrictions on the admission in the European Union[21]. In 2013, the Italian minister of foreign affairs Emma Bonino criticized the decision of the European Union to cease this embargo, adding that Italy would never supply weapons to Syria[22].
In 2020, the European Union imposed travel restrictions[23] on individuals suspected of being linked with Assad’s regime and who are accused of financially supporting the regime[24], creating a list that contains 292 names.
Economic Relations[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
Italy and Syria are both Mediterranean countries and they have strategic common interests. For this reason before the Syrian civil war, which began on the 15th March 2011, Italy and Syria had relatively intense economic relations.
Before the civil war, from 2004 to 2008, the imports of Italy from Syria amounted to €800 million, each year, whereas the exports from Italy to Syria amounted to €1 billion, each year. After the start of the civil war in 2011, the exchanges decreased and the imports from Syria to Italy amounted to €18 million, whereas exports from Italy to Syria amounted to €33 million.[25]
The goods mainly exported from Italy to Syria were machinery of various kinds, chemical products, and medical products. The imported goods from Syria to Italy, in addition to oil, were leather goods and saddlery, travel items, bags, prepared and dyed furs, and meat. As of 2011 Syrian goods represented only 0.2% of Italy’s whole economic exchange. The economic exchanges from Syria to Italy, as of 2019, amounted to €100 million, whereas the latest data, from January 2020 to July 2020, show that the economic exchanges dropped to €36.9 million. [26]
Before the civil war began in 2011, Italy used to sell weapons to Syria, but the Council of the European Union imposed upon member States the embargo to sell weapons in Syria with the decision 2011/273/CFSP, which then was rendered applicable with the Council Regulation (EU) No. 442/2011 of 9 May 2011 concerning restrictive measures given the situation. These European laws forbid Italy to sell weapons directly or indirectly to Syria. Furthermore, it forbids Syria to provide financial support and froze the assets of all individuals deemed responsible for the conflict. [21]
| Year | Total exchange with Italy | Export Italy | Import Italy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 153,1 | 125,6 | 27,5 |
| 2014 | 194,4 | 177,6 | 16,7 |
| 2015 | 161,3 | 138,8 | 22,5 |
| 2016 | 78,4 | 70,9 | 7,5 |
| 2017 | 100,9 | 93,7 | 7,2 |
| 2018 | 111,7 | 104,0 | 7,7 |
| 2019 | 122,1 | 117,6 | 4,5 |
| 2020 (Jan-Jul) | 36,9 | 35,4 | 1,6 |
Migratory flows[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
Syria - Italy[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
The number of Syrian citizens who have relocated to Italy, from 2015 to 2021, has increased. In 2015 there were 4.538 Syrian citizens in Italy and in 2018 this number increased to 5.892 and it has kept on increasing and in 2021 the number of Syrians in Italy amounted to 6.633. The regions with the biggest presence of Syrian citizens on their territories, in 2021, are Lombardy, with a total of 1,802 (27.2%); Lazio with 1,143 (17.2%) and Emilia - Romagna, with 518 (7.8%).[28]
Many of these individuals traveling from Syria to Italy are asylum seekers or refugees, some of whom can reach Europe, through humanitarian corridors. For example, some humanitarian corridors are organized in Italy by religious organizations, such as the ‘Comunità di Sant’Egidio’, which in March 2022 was able to bring to Italy 105 Syrians, of which 38 were children. These humanitarian corridors have been organized since February 2016, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since then they were able to bring in Italy 2150 people to Italy. These humanitarian corridors are organized also throughout Europe and through them, 4.400 asylum seekers have reached Europe.[29]
Italy - Syria[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
In regard to Italian citizens in Syria there is the phenomenon of foreign fighters, which are foreign citizens, who join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in order to support the cause. As of January 2017 the number of Italian citizens who have traveled to Syria in order to join ISIS amounted to 110 individuals, of which 32 have died, 17 have returned to Europe and 6 have returned to Italy.[30]
References[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
- ^ Syrian ministry of foreign affairs https://web.archive.org/web/20120511155611/http://mofa.gov.sy/cweb/MOEX_NEW/syria/Overview.htm
- ^ https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/cities/syria
- ^ I numeri di Roma Capitale" (PDF). Comune di Roma. 31 December 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/cities/syria
- ^ Constitution of Syria 2012. 15 February 2012. https://www.scribd.com/doc/81771718/Qordoba-Translation-of-the-Syrian-Constitution-Modifications-15-2-2012
- ^ "The Global Religious Landscape" (PDF). Pewforum.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20170125173538/https://www.pewforum.org/files/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf
- ^ Syria. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/#people-and-society
- ^ Syria: Ethnic Shift, 2010–mid 2018. Columbia University Gulf2000. 2018. http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Syria_Ethnic_Shift_2010-2018_lg.png
- ^ People and society. CIA - The World Factbook. CIA. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/#people-and-society
- ^ Syria. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/#people-and-society
- ^ https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=IT
- ^ World Bank GINI index. World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI/
- ^ Glanville Downey, The Occupation of Syria by the Romans, in Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 82, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1951.
- ^ a b Napoli e dintorni, Touring club italiano.
- ^ GENOVA, su treccani.it.
- ^ King's Complete History of the World War ...: 1914-1918. Europe's War with Bolshevism 1919-1920. War of the Turkish Partition 1920-1921. Warfare in Ireland, India, Egypt, Far East 1916-1921. Epochal Events Thruout the Civilized World from Ferdinand's Assassination to Disarmament Conference.
- ^ Saudi Arabia, Italy and Holland close embassies in Syria, su timesofisrael.com.
- ^ Ambasciata d'Italia - Damasco, su ambdamasco.esteri.it. URL consultato il 19 maggio 2022.
- ^ How is Italy dealing with Syria's Bashar al Assad?, su trtworld.com.
- ^ www.ufficiovisti.com, https://www.ufficiovisti.com/ambasciata-siriana-in-italia-e-consolati. URL consultato il 19 maggio 2022.
- ^ a b Misure restrittive nei confronti della Siria, su mglobale.it.
- ^ Siria e Mediterraneo: l'Italia garante dell'equilibrio, su ispionline.it.
- ^ U.S. and European Sanctions on Syria (PDF), su cartercenter.org.
- ^ European Sanctions: an instrument for fighting repression in Syria, su diplomatie.gouv.fr.
- ^ Italia- Siria, i rapporti tra il nostro Paese e Damasco, su linkiesta.it.
- ^ Massimo Ghirelli, Siria economia (PDF), su massimoghirelli.net.
- ^ Indicatori economici Siria (PDF), su esteri.it.
- ^ Siriani in Italia, su tuttitalia.it.
- ^ Guerre nel mondo e l'accoglienza che non si ferma: profughi siriani in Italia con i corridoi umanitari di Sant'Egidio e Chiese protestanti, su santegidio.org.
- ^ Francesco Marrone, Ties that Bind: Dynamics of Group Radicalisation in Italy’s Jihadists Headed for Syria and Iraq, in The International Spectator, vol. 52, 2017 (archiviato dall'originale).
