Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Friday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Chigi Palace in Rome.
Netanyahu was welcomed by an honor guard the national anthems of both countries were played.
In statements to the press following the meeting, Netanyahu said, “We have indeed a friendship, first of all a friendship between Italy and Israel that has been a long one and a growing one, but I think it’s about to take on an even greater dimension.”
“I was greatly impressed with the opportunity to sit down and have a lengthy conversation with you, both privately and then with our delegations, and I’m impressed with your vision and your leadership and your decision to bring Italy forward and bring the Israeli-Italian relationship forward,” Netanyahu told Meloni.
“I think there’s room here for enormous collaboration and improvement,” the Prime Minister continued. “I had the opportunity to meet many of the Italian business community before coming to this meeting and I’m further, even more convinced, that we can do great things which we discussed in our meeting.”
He noted that Israel and Italy can cooperated on issues related to water, gas and cyber security.
“We want to take it a step further by convening in Israel, in a few months, a G2G government to government meeting that will address perhaps a dozen areas of mutual cooperation to the benefit of Italians and Israelis alike and I think, by the way, to the benefit of Europe and Israel alike&hellipIt’s about time to welcome you in Israel and to see how we can advance our common interest to even greater heights.”
Netanyahu thanked Meloni for her friendship and added that “we appreciate both the hospitality, the friendship and the warmth that we feel here, and I can assure you that it will be deeply reciprocated on your visit to Israel very soon.”
Earlier on Friday, Netanyahu and Italian Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso met with a forum of senior managers from prominent Italian companies, including dozens of company heads.
Speaking at Urso”s ministry in Rome, Netanyahu answered the company heads’ questions on water solutions in Israel in light of the drought that Italy has experienced in recent years, digital health and the Israeli experience in the field, and cyber and securing vital infrastructure and the potential for Italian-Israeli cooperation in this field, among others.
(Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
