“I presented to Minister Di Maio the priorities of our EU Presidency. We agreed on further support for Ukraine, the need for sanctions against Russia and also on support for the integration efforts of the Western Balkans countries,” said minister Lipavský.

The Ministers talked about the war in Ukraine and the EU's southern neighbourhood. Both agreed that Czechia and Italy share similar positions on Russia’s aggressive behaviour and will continue to cooperate closely on providing military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

The two countries share a common position on the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, which must remain at the centre of the efforts to bring stability to the region. The ministers also discussed EU governance reform, migration and reduction of the energy dependence on Russia.

The talks focused on the development of bilateral relations, with both ministers agreeing to expand cooperation in the areas of bilateral trade, investment and culture. “Italy belongs to our most important partners in the EU and NATO and is our sixth largest trading partner,” said Minister Jan Lipavský.

Czech-Italian cooperation in the safeguarding of energy security of the EU was an important topic of the discussion. The signing of the Memorandum on Cooperation and Structured Consultations reflects the interest in closer cooperation, and a more frequent exchange of information through regular consultations.

Minister Di Maio’s first visit to Prague was a demonstration of the very good relations between the two countries. Italy is one of Czechia’s close partners not only in the EU but also in NATO.