Italy's populist prime minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday ruled out the possibility of Italy leaving the euro.
"There is no chance of an 'Italexit', of leaving the euro or the eurozone," Conte told a news conference at the Foreign Press Association in Rome.
Conte's remarks reinforced televised comments made on Saturday by eurosceptic economist Paolo Savona, who serves as European affairs minister, stating that Italy would never willingly choose to leave the single currency and would drop out only if it were forced to.
Britain voted in a referendum to leave the European Union and its withdrawal from the 28-member bloc - 'Brexit' - is set for March next year.
Britain never joined the single European currency. From 1990-1992 it took part in the Exchange Rate Mechanism - the forerunner of the Economic and Monetary Union - but opted out of joining the EMU.
