The Italian Cultural Institute in Athens, the Cultural Office of the Italian Embassy in Athens, is an official institution of the Italian State, directly dependent on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. It operates under the terms of the Cultural Agreement between Greece and Italy signed in Athens on 11 September, 1954, following the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and it is periodically renewed with a three-year Executive Program of Cultural and Scientific Cooperation. The mission of the Italian Cultural Institute in Athens is to promote Italian Culture and Heritage, as well as to disseminate Italian language, with the aim of facilitating knowledge and communication between the two countries, and ultimately to foster and develop cultural relations between Greece and Italy.