On September 5, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held a meeting with Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, in Rome.
A guard of honor was arranged for President Ilham Aliyev at the Chigi Palace in Rome.
Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, welcomed President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.
The two leaders reviewed the guard of honor. Following that, the Italian delegation was introduced to President Ilham Aliyev, and the Azerbaijani delegation was introduced to Giorgia Meloni.
They then posed for photographs together.
President Ilham Aliyev and Giorgia Meloni first held a one-on-one meeting, which later expanded to include delegations from both sides.
Giorgia Meloni described President Aliyev's visit as highly productive, noting the in-depth discussions on the Italy-Azerbaijan bilateral relations agenda and the identification of new areas of cooperation. The discussions focused on expanding economic and trade relations, particularly in industry and energy, while also deepening collaboration in the humanitarian and cultural spheres. The Italy-Azerbaijan University project, a partnership between ADA University and Italian universities, was highlighted as a significant initiative for fostering ties in these fields.
Both leaders praised their countries' cooperation in the energy sector, particularly the TAP project, which plays a key role in ensuring the energy security of Italy and other European nations. They also discussed the potential to increase TAP's transmission capacity.
Giorgia Meloni expressed gratitude for Azerbaijan’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine and acknowledged its important role in this regard. She thanked President Aliyev for the invitation to COP29 and emphasized her intent to participate. She assured that Italy is ready to provide all necessary support for the successful organization of COP29 in Azerbaijan, mentioning that Italy’s climate change representative is working closely with Azerbaijan’s COP delegation. She also highlighted the participation of Azerbaijan’s COP29 President-Designate in the G7 meeting of environment ministers in Italy.
The discussion also covered the exploration of new cooperation areas between Italy’s Eni S.p.A. and SOCAR, as well as the potential for joint projects in third countries.
They also addressed the participation of Azerbaijan and Italy in joint investment projects in third countries, stressing the importance of the Middle Corridor and discussing the prospects for Italian companies to use this route.
The role of the Azerbaijan-Italy Economic Cooperation Commission was also underscored, with both sides agreeing to hold the next meeting of the commission next year.
President Ilham Aliyev invited Giorgia Meloni to make an official visit to Azerbaijan, which she accepted with pleasure.
