(Adnkronos) – Italy’s premier Giorgia Meloni and her Portugese counterpart Luis Montenegro agreed on Monday to renew bilateral relations in all areas including cooperation in Africa, and during talks in Rome the two countries signed an accord to foster “even more stable and structured” political dialogue between Rome and Lisbon, Meloni told reporters.
“We have decided to revitalise our bilateral cooperation and to do so comprehensively, starting with a document signed today by our foreign ministers (Antonio) Tajani and (Paulo Rangel) which will allow us to make the political dialogue between our governments even more stable and even more structured,” Meloni said at a press briefing with Montenegro.
“We are clearly not starting from scratch. We are building on foundations that are already solid, Meloni continued.
At their talks, Meloni and Montenegro agreed there was scope to boost collaboration in Africa between Italy and Portugal which are “perhaps the two European nations with the most similar approach” to the continent, she said.
“Italy has worked in recent years to significantly expand the Mattei Plan for Africa,” Meloni said, referring to a 5.5 billion blueprint to accelerate the continent’s economic development through partnership in a key sectors including energy.
“Today, this strategy involves eighteen African nations and is recognised as an initiative of international scope. Among these nations are two very important ones that have deep ties with Portugal: Angola and Mozambique,” said Meloni.
“There is certainly enormous potential for cooperation in this area, which clearly goes beyond mere bilateral cooperation to include cooperation at the multilateral level,” she added.
Italy and Portugal also intend to cooperate in “strategic sectors”, Meloni stated.
“I’m thinking of energy, infrastructure, port logistics, and transportation. Portugal is investing heavily in these sectors, and Italy can, as always, offer its exceptional know-how,” Meloni added.
Meloni also identified defence and various sectors linked to the blue economy as areas in which to ramp up bilateral cooperation.
“One of the sectors where we can certainly make a significant leap forward is the defense industry. I am very pleased with the Portuguese authorities’ decision to purchase three Evo frigates built by (Italian shipbuilder) Fincantieri,” she said.
“This is a recognition of the excellence of Italian industry, but it also demonstrates that Europe can become more autonomous by investing in the industrial and technological capabilities of its companies,” Meloni continued.
“I also believe this is an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation among our maritime supply chains, extending it to commercial shipbuilding, the various sectors related to the blue economy, and the broader context of the sea and the strategic supply chains linked to current and future geopolitics.”
The last visit by a Portughese prime minister to Italy was over 10 years ago, Meloni noted, saying that she interpreted Montenegro’s visit as “an important signal of the two maritime nations’ “shared desire to relaunch or relations”.
The value of bilateral trade topped a record 10 billion euros last year, Meloni added.
“This result reflects the dynamism of our economies, but also their growth potential,” she concluded.
