Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati received a delegation from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Jerusalem, including Agency Director Mirko Tricoli and Solid Waste Management Projects Director Marco Werber. The delegation was on a technical visit aimed at examining the city of Bethlehem and its development needs as part of efforts to enhance joint cooperation. Participating from the Bethlehem Municipality were Municipal Council Member Hisham Al-Kamel, Director of the Planning and Development Department Eng. Ziad Al-Sayeh, Director of the Public Relations, Culture, and Media Department Ms. Carmen Ghattas, and Director of the Health Department Dr. Yousef Musallam.
At the beginning of the meeting, Canawati welcomed the delegation, expressing his appreciation for Italy’s ongoing support. He emphasized that previously implemented projects have had a tangible impact on the ground, emphasizing the importance of this cooperation in implementing strategic projects that make a real difference in the city. He also pointed to the distinguished relations that connect Bethlehem with several Italian cities, emphasizing that Italy is the country with which Bethlehem has the largest number of twinning agreements. He reiterated his welcome to any cooperation that serves the interests of the city and its residents. For its part, the Italian delegation explained that this visit aims to closely examine the reality of Bethlehem and its needs, in preparation for studying opportunities to support new projects that align with the city’s development priorities. They noted that Bethlehem is one of the Palestinian cities that cooperates most closely with Italy in various fields, while affirming the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation’s commitment to continuing to strengthen its partnership with the Bethlehem Municipality and working to develop future initiatives that contribute to enabling the city to address environmental, social, and economic challenges. Engineer Ziad Al-Sayeh, Director of the Planning and Development Department at the municipality, then gave a detailed presentation on the city’s economic, living, and cultural reality, development and investment plans, ongoing and proposed projects, and the impact of the separation wall and the transportation and mobility strategy. This presentation is part of the framework for strengthening international partnerships and serving sustainable development in the city.