Mattarella says Italian flag also represents 'new Italians'

(ANSA) - Rome, January 7 - President Sergio Mattarella said Thursday - which is Flag Day in Italy - that the national flag also represents the country's newly naturalized citizens.
    Our flag "is now also the flag of the new Italian citizens, who have been living and working with us for years and who share our love for a common homeland," Mattarella said.
    "The symbol of unity is therefore also a symbol of openness - a resource that can help us better face future challenges," he said. "This identity is our unrenounceable heritage of values, meanings, and common roots. Our flag...represents the emblem of the values of democracy, social justice, respect for human rights, and solidarity affirmed in our Constitution".
    Mattarella went on to say that unity is a primary objective of the republic - unity between Italy's different regions, of its social body, between generations, and in the exercise and recognition of rights and duties.