Rome, Italy (DT) – On September 5, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, met with Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, in Rome. A guard of honor was presented to President Aliyev at the Chigi Palace, where he was welcomed by Meloni. Both leaders reviewed the guard of honor and exchanged introductions between their respective delegations before posing for photographs.
The meeting began with a private discussion between the two leaders, which later expanded to include their delegations. Giorgia Meloni described President Aliyev’s visit as highly productive, emphasizing comprehensive talks on enhancing Italy-Azerbaijan bilateral relations.
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They explored new avenues of cooperation, focusing on expanding economic and trade ties, especially in industry and energy, and deepening humanitarian and cultural exchanges. The Italy-Azerbaijan University project, a collaboration between ADA University and Italian institutions, was highlighted as a key initiative in fostering cultural and humanitarian connections.
They praised their bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, particularly the TAP project, which is crucial for Italy’s and Europe’s energy security. They discussed the potential for increasing TAP’s transmission capacity.
Meloni expressed gratitude for Azerbaijan’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine and acknowledged Azerbaijan’s role in this context. She thanked President Aliyev for inviting her to COP29 and expressed her commitment to participating in the event. Meloni assured Italy’s support for the successful organization of COP29 in Azerbaijan and noted that Italy’s climate change representative is working closely with Azerbaijan’s COP delegation. She also mentioned the participation of Azerbaijan’s COP29 President-Designate in the G7 environment ministers’ meeting in Italy.
The discussions also covered potential joint projects between Italy’s Eni S.p.A and Azerbaijan’s SOCAR in third countries and the importance of the Middle Corridor. They explored opportunities for Italian companies to leverage this corridor and agreed to discuss further collaboration through the Italy-Azerbaijan economic cooperation commission, with plans to hold its next meeting next year.
President Aliyev invited Meloni for an official visit to Azerbaijan, which she gladly accepted.