Three months and a half after the successful State visit to Italy by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Manlio Di Stefano, led a qualified Italian delegation in a broad dialogue with Azerbaijan institutions, led by the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Parviz Shahbazov.
The two Co-Presidents of the Italy-Azerbaijan Joint Intergovernmental Commission, assisted by their respective Ambassadors and by the leadership of the main bodies involved in bilateral cooperation (on the Italian side Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, SACE-Simest, ICE-Agency), shared the experiences of the two countries in the fight against COVID-19 and for economic recovery.
Mr Di Stefano and Mr Shahbazov decided to continue to deepen bilateral cooperation, starting with the implementation of the agreements signed last February in Rome and the industrial cooperation initiatives signed back then.
“It was a very useful confrontation – Mr Di Stefano stressed – with our friends from Azerbaijan to resume the dialogue with this important partner of ours. Starting from TAP strategic project, we reviewed the main challenges and opportunities of bilateral dialogue in a fast-paced videoconference, stressing the importance of protecting mutual industrial interests and the common desire to increase bilateral trade, focusing on agri-food, mechanics, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure and innovation”.
“This was an opportunity – Mr Di Stefano continued – to recall the measures taken by the Italian government to deal with Covid and the recent signing of the Pact for Export, strongly supported by Minister Di Maio, from which Italy’s relations with Azerbaijan and the countries of the Caucasus area can also benefit”.
