Italy has thanked United Nations chief Antonio Guterres for "the work we have started, also together with Austria" on South Tyrol-Alto Adige province, saying it can be a blueprint for other areas in the world.
"I thank UN Secretary General Guterres and his staff for the work we have started, also together with Austria on South Tyrol's model of autonomy," foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.
Tajani was speaking in the southern port city of Brindisi, where he travelled for a ceremony to mark the UN logistics hub (UNGSC)'s 30th anniversary, which Guterres also attended.
"We will take this forward at the UN General Assembly in New York in September," Tajani continued.
South Tyrol-Alto Adige "can be model for other areas, for crises zones in the world," Tajani said.
"There is a need for this ability to live together, respecting minorities," he underlined.
"I think of many other parts of the world where there are flashpoints with linguistic minorities," Tajani noted.
German is the first language for the majority of South Tyrol-Alto Adige's population. Minority Italian speakers are concentrated in the province's two biggest cities of Bolzano and Merano.
Italy "has shown that peaceful coexistence between communities that have different languages is something that can be achieved, and it means that peace can beat conflict," he said.
