A planned treaty between Italy and France will bolster already strong bilateral relations, Italian premier Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday after meeting French president Emmanuel Macron in Rome.
"I think it is very important that we have decided to give a more stable, more ambitious framework to the historic relations between Italy and France," Gentiloni told a press conference after meeting Macron.
"We have always cooperated in an extraordinary way, but we are convinced that this can make our relations even stronger and more systematic".
The planned 'Quirinale Treaty' based on model of the 1963 Elysee Treaty with Germany should be inked in 2018, according to French presidential sources.
Macron told journalists that the "structural" relationship between France and Germany was "at the origin of Europe" but was "not exclusive".
"Our relationship with Italy has another history - cultural ties, a special, specific relationship," Macron said.
"The relationship is strong at all levels".
"And it is not in competition or inferior, but is perfectly complementary with the Franco-German relationship."
