This June 2, 2016, Italy will celebrate its Republic Day, also known as Festa della Reppublica (Festival of the Republic) in Italian. It was on this day when the Italians voted to abolish the monarchy in 1946 so their country could become a republic. In the Philippines, Italian Ambassador Massimo Roscigno will lead the celebration. [...] This year’s celebration marks a milestone for Roscigno who implemented programs to boost the strength of the diplomatic and bilateral relations of Italy and the Philippines.

President Obama had made it abundantly clear in advance of his trip that he would not be issuing an apology when he paid his respects at the cenotaph to the thousands who died when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, 71 years ago. [...] "The mainstream in Japanese society accept Obama's visit as something that he wanted to do personally, but staying within the constraints of his own domestic policies," 

On 16 May 2016 Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern district, Yury Trutnev, met with officials from Japanese and Russian energy and metallurgical companies. The meeting followed a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss enhancing bilateral ties. [...] Public diplomacy is also another area of great potential between the two countries. 

On May 11, Moroccan King Mohammed VI visited Beijing and signed a new “strategic partnership” with his counterpart, Chinese President Xi Jinping. It calls for heightened political and economic cooperation in the realms of renewable energy, telecoms, and industry — among other forms of potential exchange, including the realms of education, cultural, and tourism.

The National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech) and the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) jointly inaugurated an office in Taipei on Saturday, with the aim of deepening ties between them. The Tokyo Institute of Technology Engineering Office in Taiwan will be responsible for faculty and student exchange programs and business internships between the two schools, said Liao Ching-jong, president of Taiwan Tech, where the office is located.

At the invitation of President Milos Zeman, I will be paying my first state visit to the Czech Republic as the Chinese President. I look forward to having in-depth exchange of views with President Zeman and other Czech leaders on boosting bilateral ties and on major international and regional issues.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday held a meeting with Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas during which they did a comprehensive review of the bilateral ties between the two countries and explored the possibility of elevating the relationship between the two countries to a new level.

The Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, Mr. Liu Kan said the Chinese government is committed to ensuring formidable bilateral ties with Nigeria, [...] Liu said that with several projects spanning the previous few decades, Africa has always been cherished as the ‘foundation of the foundation’ in Chinese diplomacy.