Italy is eager to fortify its flourishing commercial ties with Azerbaijan, foreign minister Angelino Alfano told his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov on Thursday.
"I am especially pleased at the intensity of our bilateral trade: Italy is Azerbaijan's primary European partner and its second largest on a world scale," Alfano stated in a phone call with Mammadyarov.
Italy is the prime importer of Azeri goods and the top purchaser of Azeri energy resources, Alfano stated.
"Our ambition is to further strengthen this economic partnership," Alfano told Mammadyarov.
Alfano also stressed the key role in maintaining regional security and promoting peaceful conflict resolution played by the Vienna-based Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), whose chairmanship Italy takes over in 2018.
