(ANSA) - ZAGABRIA, JUL 8 - The Italian Ambassador to Croatia, Paolo Trichilo, traveled to Rijeka on an official visit to meet with the new leadership of the Italian Union and attend a book presentation at the local Italian community center. The program began with a meeting at the Consulate General, attended by Consul General Iva Palmieri and the new leadership of the Italian Union (UI), elected in the May 31 vote: UI President (and member of the Italian minority delegation in the Croatian Parliament, Marin Corva), the President of the Executive Board, Paolo Demarin, and the President of the Assembly, Marko Gregorič. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss key issues concerning the Italian minority and the prospects for future collaboration between the Ui, the Embassy, and the Consulate General. In this regard, the Ambassador and the Consul General congratulated their counterparts on the prestigious positions they have assumed within the Ui, which serve as recognition of the work they have already carried out on behalf of the Italian National Community (Cni). They then confirmed their willingness to continue working with the UI to strengthen the essential role of the Italian minority in preserving and promoting the Italian language and culture in Croatia and in deepening relations between Italy and Croatia, to which the CNI brings added value. The new UI leadership thanked the Ambassador and the Consul General for the special attention given to the Italian minority and expressed their readiness to continue the excellent collaboration currently underway to protect the rights of the CNI in Croatia. The mission continued with a speech by the Ambassador at the presentation of the book *The Return of Diplomacy: For Peace in Ukraine* by Giorgio Rosso Cicogna, a former diplomat and international official. The novel tells the story of an international conference that, unfortunately, never took place, but which, given its realistic portrayal of diplomatic mechanisms, could well reflect reality. The event was also attended by Damir Grubiša, a political scientist, academic, and former Croatian Ambassador to Rome. A native of Fiume and a native Italian speaker, he contributes to "La Voce del Popolo," the CNI's Italian-language Croatian daily newspaper. Grubiša recently published a book titled "Diplomacy Behind the Scenes - A Comparative Analysis of a Profession," which offers reflections on the world of diplomacy, intelligence, and international relations, tracing their historical evolution and contemporary dynamics. The book was presented in recent days in Zagreb in the presence of Croatian President Zoran Milanović. (ANSA).