President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic Mario Draghi have held a one-on-one meeting in Rome.

First, a welcome ceremony was held for President Ilham Aliyev.

A guard of honor was arranged for the President of Azerbaijan.

President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Mario Draghi welcomed President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Mario Draghi reviewed the guard of honor.

Italian state and government representatives were introduced to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, while members of the Azerbaijani delegation were introduced to President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Mario Draghi.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Mario Draghi then posed together for photos.

During the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev recalled his state visit to Italy in 2020, as well as his earlier official and working visits.

During the conversation, the sides hailed the development of the political dialogue between the two countries and noted the development of bilateral relations on the basis of strategic partnership.

President of the Council of Ministers Mario Draghi stated that this visit would contribute to the development of bilateral relations between the two countries, emphasized that very good relations had been established between Italy and Azerbaijan at the level of strategic partnership, that mutual trade was continuously increasing, and successful cooperation was being implemented in the field of energy.

The sides also pointed to the important role Azerbaijan was playing in ensuring the energy security of the European Union and Italy in particular. The two leaders touched upon issues of cooperation between the two countries in economy, science, education, culture, art and other fields. It was also stressed that Italian companies were actively involved in the restoration and reconstruction work carried out in the territories liberated from occupation.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan, including the visit by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, to Azerbaijan and stressed the importance of signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership in the field of energy between Azerbaijan and the European Union as part of the visit