By Serdar Dincel
ISTANBUL (AA) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof met Wednesday at Palazzo Chigi in Rome and held discussions on a number of topics, including security and migration, the Italian government said in a statement.
"The two leaders had an in-depth discussion on the latest developments regarding the conflict in Ukraine and the outcome of the talks held in Saudi Arabia between the Ukrainian and US delegations, as well as on the issues of European and Euro-Atlantic security and preparations for the NATO Summit to be held in The Hague on 24 and 25 June," the government noted.
The meeting focused on key issues on the European Union’s agenda ahead of a European Council summit on March 20-21, including European defense, competitiveness and combating irregular migration.
Meloni expressed gratitude to Schoof for their collaborative efforts in seeking innovative solutions and for supporting Italy’s stance in preliminary ruling proceedings before the Court of Justice of the EU on the “safe country of origin” concept.
The meeting also reaffirmed "the excellent state of the bilateral relationship," highlighted by substantial trade flows and productive collaboration across multiple strategic sectors of mutual interest.