Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday that his country is ready to enhance economic cooperation with Syria and build "strategic partnerships", stressing that Rome will play its role in lifting the sanctions imposed on the ousted regime.
This came in a speech during a press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sheibani in the capital Damascus, as part of an unannounced official visit that the Italian minister began earlier on Friday.
Tajani said: "It is very essential to preserve the unity of Syrian territory and encourage the return of Syrians to live in their country."
He added: "Italy is ready to play its role in a new phase in Syria characterized by reform."
He expressed his country's desire to "relaunch economic cooperation with Syria," stressing that they are "ready to do so in vital areas such as energy and agriculture."
Tajani added: "We are ready to build strategic partnerships and enhance our economic cooperation with Syria (..) I conveyed positive messages from Italian companies intending to invest in Syria."
During his speech, he said that Italy "will play its role in lifting the sanctions imposed on Syria that were imposed on the ousted regime," expressing his country's aspiration to be a "bridge" between Syria and the European Union.
For his part, Al-Shaibani welcomed the Italian Foreign Minister's call to lift sanctions on Syria, which "constitute an obstacle to the country's recovery."
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