1. Deputy Foreign Minister Staffan De Mistura of Italy will visit the Republic of Korea on May 12-16.

2. Deputy Minister Mistura will hold the 5th ROK-Italy Vice-ministerial Policy Consultation and luncheon with First Vice Foreign Minister Ahn Ho-young on May 14. The two sides will discuss a wide range of bilateral, regional and global matters of mutual concern, including the ROK-EU FTA and other cooperation measures in trade and investment; exchanges between economic delegations from the two countries; cooperation at the 2012 Yeosu Expo and the 2015 Milano Expo as well as the UN; and the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East.

3. Deputy Minister Mistura will also attend the opening ceremony of the Italian pavilion at the Yeosu Expo on May 13 and the 5th ROK-Italy Forum on May 15.

4. Deputy Minister Mistura served as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq and for Afghanistan in 2010-2011. His visit to the ROK is expected to serve as an important opportunity to discuss substantive issues related to bilateral cooperation in follow-up to the relevant discussion at the summit meeting between President Lee Myung-bak and Prime Minister Monti held on the sidelines of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit in March 2012.

                Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation