Minister for Foreign Affairs Giulio Terzi received Belgian Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders today at the foreign ministry in Rome.
The two ministers reviewed the intense bilateral and multilateral collaboration between Italy and Belgium owed to solid economic, cultural and political bonds – made even stronger by the 300,000-strong Italian community in Belgium – along with the positive trend in trade, which surpassed €24 billion last year.
The meeting confirmed a common sensibility and broad convergence of views on European themes, the Atlantic Alliance and the United Nations. With particular regard to the European dimension, the two ministers agreed on the need, within the context of strengthened integration and economic governance, for community policies that ensure balance between budget rigour and growth and employment incentives. Ample room was also given to the equally delicate matter of boosting the Union’s common defence and foreign policy .
Terzi and Reynders also had an exchange of views on the main current international events, especially regarding the international community’s efforts to promote development and stability in the Mediterranean and Middle East in the wake of the Arab spring, and prospects for the transition in Afghanistan.
