President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev accepted credentials of newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italian Republic Luca Di Gianfrancesco on May 25, Azernews reports.

The ambassador presented his credentials to the head of state.

President Ilham Aliyev then had a conversation with the ambassador.

Expressing satisfaction with his appointment as ambassador to Azerbaijan, Ambassador Gianfrancesco conveyed the greetings of President Sergio Mattarella of Italy to President Ilham Aliyev.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed gratitude for the greetings and asked the ambassador to relay his own greetings back to the Italian President.

During the conversation, they emphasized the special character of the relations between the two countries, which are developing within the framework of strategic partnership.

The ambassador noted the successful development of relations in various areas, including science and education, and praised efforts to open Italian universities in Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev highlighted Italy's status as one of Azerbaijan's main trading partners within the European Union.

They hailed the dynamic development of political, humanitarian, economic, and educational cooperation between the two countries. They mentioned that relations between Azerbaijan and Italy began with the energy sector and expanded to cover various areas, including culture, information and communication technologies, transportation, and others.

The conversation also emphasized the active involvement of companies from Italy, a friendly and partnering country, in reconstruction and restoration works in Azerbaijan's liberated territories.

The meeting discussed the development of the Middle Corridor and explored prospects for cooperation in this context.

Furthermore, the meeting addressed Azerbaijan-EU relations and Italy's support, as an EU member, to Azerbaijan in this process.