State visit of President Iohannis to Italy. President Mattarella: Relations between Romania and Italy, at excellent level

President Klaus Iohannis was welcomed on Monday at the Quirinale Palace of Rome by his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, within the state visit that Romania’s President is paying to the Italian Republic  in the context of celebrating the Greater Union Centennial and the 10th anniversary since upgrading the bilateral relationship between Romania and Italy at the level of Enhanced Strategic Partnership. Presidents Iohannis and Mattarella carried out head-to-head talks, as well as official discussions that were followed by joint press statements. According to the Presidential Administration, the two presidents’ agenda of talks included the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between the two countries, as well as European, international and security co-operation. “Within the dialogue, a special attention will be granted to reconfirming the special character of the bilateral relation, deepening the Enhanced Strategic Partnership, strengthening the economic cooperation and the role of the Romanian community residing in Italy. An exchange of views regarding the topical themes of the EU agenda will also be carried out, including in the context of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, as well as on international topics,” the Presidential Administration mentions. Moreover, Iohannis and Mattarella toured  the Scuderie del Quirinale Museum, where they inaugurated an exhibition dedicated to the commemoration in 2017 of 2000 years since the death of poet Ovid. Romania is participating with two heritage art works, one from Constanta and one from the Brukenthal Museum, with the exhibition unfolding under the High Patronage of Italy’s and Romania’s Presidents. According to the Presidential Administration, this is the first state visit of a head of state in the last 45 years to Italy. The agenda of Romania’s President’s visit to Rome also includes official meetings with head of Italy’s Council of Ministers Giuseppe Conte, Senate Chair Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati, and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico.   President Sergio Mattarella: The meetings scheduled with the most important representatives of Italian institutions, demonstrate the level of the friendship between the two countries   Italian President Sergio Mattarella stated on Monday that relations between Romania and Italy are “at an excellent level,” being based on very old historical and cultural ties, while Klaus Iohannis characterised the relationship as “a relationship that works extraordinarily well.” “It is a visit that, for us, is very important in what concerns the relations between Romania and Italy, which are at an excellent level, relations based on very old historical and cultural ties and on current social, human, economic ties. The historical ties have allowed us to develop a series of collaborations, political, economic and social collaborations at very high level, collaborations that are intensifying and that are growing in size and number. There are very deep social ties. An important Romanian community is present in Italy, it is the most important community in Italy, the largest. We are talking about approximately 1.2 million Romanians,” Italian President Sergio Mattarella stated during the joint press opportunity in which he took part alongside Klaus Iohannis. He added that thousands of Italians are also living in Romania, many Italian companies are active in Romania – more than 19,000 companies. “This economic collaboration is facilitated by these human connections that are developing between the Romanian people and the Italian people. We are talking about collaboration and closeness that is reflected at cultural level too. There are very many collaborations between Romanian and Italian universities, and the exchange of students between our countries is very important. This is an element which, in its turn, strengthens friendship between Romania and Italy and of course both countries are part of the European Union and in harmony in what regards the European Union’s development outlook,” the Italian Head of State added. He labelled his dialogue with Klaus Iohannis as being “very useful, very friendly.” “The dialogue I had with President Klaus Iohannis was very useful, very friendly, and I noted the great friendship between our countries, and this visit to Italy, and the stages of this visit, as well as all the meetings scheduled, I’m talking about the meetings scheduled with the most important representatives of Italian institutions, demonstrate the level of the friendship between the two countries,” the Italian Head of State emphasised.   President Iohannis, after meeting Italian counterpart: I thanked President Mattarella for how Romanians are treated   President Klaus Iohannis on Monday stated, after his meeting with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, that he thanked him for the manner in which Romanians are treated and integrated in the Peninsula. “I underscored the community of values, the common history, the common rich culture and we have come very fast and with very positive feelings to discus about the two communities, the Italian community, already very numerous in Romania, and the Romanian community in Italy,” specified Iohannis, during his joint press conference with Sergio Mattarella, at the Quirinale Palace. According to the head of the state, there are approximately 1.2 million Romanians living in Italy, with this being the largest Romanian community abroad. “This community of Romanian is very integrated in Italy, very appreciated. I thanked for the way in which Romanians are treated and integrated in Italy,” said Klaus Iohannis.   Presidents Iohannis, Mattarella discuss speeding up economic relationship   He underlined that he talked to his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella about the economic relationship between Romania and Italy, mentioning that our country is an extremely attractive market, with an important potential. “We discussed some details regarding our economic relationship that is steadily growing,” Klaus Iohannis told a joint statement with Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome. According to the Romanian president, a record level of almost 15 billion euro in bilateral exchanges has been reached, and experts estimate that this upward trend will maintain in the coming period. “I underscored that Romania is and will be a very attractive market, it is a country with an important potential and even if we have a very numerous business community in Romania, we are looking forward to new and new...

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