By Anna Ghazaryan

Armenian News-NEWS.am continues interviews with diplomats working in Armenia. Italy’s Ambassador to Armenia Bruno Scapini speaks about his experience, Italian cuisine and secrets of a good diplomat.

Did it happen that you personal opinion differ from the official position of your country?

Sometimes it may happen that what your government asks for does not comply perfectly with your ideas. But generally speaking Italy is a democratic country, and the decision the Italian government makes is mostly based on what Ambassadors on the spot refer. There is a continuous exchange of views between the diplomat and the government to make decision-making process effective.

What is the most difficult thing about your work?

The most difficult thing about diplomatic job is to find the right balance in everything you do, because this is a kind of profession that has to deal with a lot of people and with a lot of matters. In particular, any kind of matter can be within the competence of a diplomat, when we work abroad. In this case you must have a very open and wide mind in order to better understand the overall situation and all its profiles. A balanced evaluation is the secret of a good diplomat.

You have been to many countries: Ghana, Luxemburg, Slovenia, etc. Do you think the diplomat must set a goal coming to a new country?

If you mean a professional goal that is something that has to do with the particular mission you are entrusted with by the government. Each country has its own characteristics and each government, or the sending state let’s say, has a particular policy. The diplomat whatever his rank is has to comply with this particular mission. This is the professional goal. If you mean a personal goal, that depends on the single personal disposition. You may like some kind of experience, for instance in an African country the experience of a safari can be curious. If you go to a northern country where you can find icy landscape, there will be a different type of experience. So it depends on personal disposition. But I do feel that when you go to a country you must make the most of this experience and you should not lose time. Ever since you arrive, since you put the first step on the new floor you must go around, see what that country can offer you and get into contact with it.

Is there any word or phrase the diplomat must never say?

Well, they say that a diplomat should never say “no”. But I think it is better for modern diplomacy to be frank, open and sincere because today the world is so interconnected and there is a way to find the truth always. If a diplomat is a liar or tries to cover up some facts, he can be proved as a liar and the person does not become trustworthy any more. In order to be trustworthy, the diplomat should be like that, sincere, especially in a foreign country.

You visited many countries. Did you change as a person?

This is a very difficult matter for a diplomat, because actually a diplomat, through his experience in foreign countries, changing place many times (we usually change destination every 2-3 years), can be faced with a lot of challenges. A new experience in a new country can pose a challenge to the personality and even to the character. That is where integrity of personality comes in. If a diplomat has also a strong identity, this identity can be changed or somehow affected by the experience in the foreign environment, but if the person is strong in terms of character, it can not be affected by foreign experiences. Sometimes you can find a person who found a new faith abroad. There are some diplomats in Italy who changed religion, becoming, for instance, Muslim, or, in some of the cases they acquired new habits.   

Is there anything you miss being out of Italy?

No, I do not miss anything. In Armenia I feel as if I were at home. Even about food. As Ambassador of Italy I am organizing many cultural events, and one of the events is the week of Italian cuisine Festival. Though I got a little experience in this field I and can say that Armenian cuisine is a sort of Mediterranean cuisine, but you do not have a code for your cuisine. To have a code means to develop a specific culture for gastronomy. In Italy we have done this, we have reached qualification of regional cuisines at the end of 19th century. But most of the dishes you have are of Mediterranean style and in some cases are close to some Italian dishes we usually have in southern regions.

They say Armenians and Italians have much in common. Do you agree?

It is true. I was quite amazed when I came here for the first time. When I arrived in Armenia, first I thought I would find people with a mentality and culture much closer to Asian. To my great surprise I found instead that Armenian mentality is close to Europe and particularly it is very close to Italy. We can share the common religious values, the same views about morale, ethics, the same kind of approach to family matters and we share the same traditions in most social experiences. So, I think between Armenia and Italy there is a very, very special tight relationship.

Do you like football as every Italian?

I am not a strong sportsman. I follow important international matches but I do not follow football every day. I do not like to side with any kind of regional team, only with the national one!

Did you watch Armenia v Italy qualificational match?

Yes, of course. I was present. I was very enthusiastic as I noticed that the Armenian football team was playing very well and cleverly. Even Italy’s coach Prandelli made positive comments about the quality of the Armenian national team.

Ambassador is – he should be a friendship maker. There are also peacemakers, but for a diplomat it is better to say he is a friendship maker.

You can also read in this series interviews with the ambassadors of Britain and France.