The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edmondo Cirielli, met in Lisbon with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Portuguese Republic, Ana Isabel Xavier.
At a time of positive growth in bilateral trade, which is now approaching EUR 10 billion, particular attention was devoted during the talks to strengthening cooperation in the strategic defence industry sector and in the aerospace field.
With regard to the African continent, complementarities and synergies between the respective development cooperation actions were explored in depth, especially in countries of shared interest such as Mozambique and Angola, both priorities within the framework of the Mattei Plan and Italian development cooperation.
Lastly, the need for a coordinated approach towards Central Asia was underlined, with a view to promoting stability and connectivity, as well as the importance of the European integration of the Western Balkans, in the perspective of EU enlargement.
