President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held an expanded meeting with Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, on May 4.

Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Madam Prime Minister, members of the delegation, once again, welcome. We have had excellent discussions on various aspects. Now we will continue our talks in an expanded format. First of all, I would like to thank you once again for being with us. I know how busy you have been since yesterday and this morning. Your visit to us, coming directly from Armenia, carries a very symbolic meaning. This once again demonstrates a friendly attitude toward Azerbaijan. We share the same sentiment toward Italy. Your visit today will be very decisive for the development of our strategic relations. Once again, welcome.

Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, said:

- Thank you very much, distinguished President. It is an honor for me to be here, and it gives me a sense of satisfaction. I believe it was important to come here because Azerbaijan is a very important partner for Italy. However, I discovered that an Italian Prime Minister has not visited here since 2013. This seems quite surprising to me. Therefore, I believe making this visit was indeed essential, as our cooperation is truly extensive. We cooperate in many strategic areas—energy, infrastructure, connectivity, and culture.

The visit of the President of the Italian Republic to Azerbaijan was also a significant event in terms of demonstrating our cultural ties and the work carried out in relation to the university. However, I believe we can always do more together. In our view, Azerbaijan is our strategic partner, despite the difficult international situation we are in. At the same time, Azerbaijan plays the role of a bridge. We wish to emphasize the role of this bridge. This bridge can be a very long one, extending from here to the Mediterranean region.