Italy "is the most solid and coherent ally" of the United States and sees eye to eye with it on foreign policy regarding Iran, Libya, the Middle East and Venzuela as well as China, Matteo Salvini said in Washington on Monday.
"We have a shared vision with the US on Iran, Libya, the Middle East, on Venezuela and about China's overweening ambitions towards Europe and Africa," Salvini told reporters after talks with secretary of state Mike Pompeo.
"In this context, while other European countries have chosen to follow a different path, Italy is the most solid and coherent ally of the US," said Salvini.
Salvini also backed the US's hard line towards Iran. "A state that wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth has no right to say anything," he said.
Italy shares the US's view on war-wracked Libya and backs the internationally recognised government of Fayez al-Sarraj in its months-long battle in Tripoli against eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar's militia, Salvini said.
"We are convinced there must be a solution in which there is not a victor and the vanquished. All sides need to be at the negotiating table. Contrary to what France believed, Haftar's offensive has not solved anything," he said.
The Italian government also agrees with the US that Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido should be recognised as the crisis-hit country's interim president to replace Marxist president Nicolas Maduro, Salvini said, calling Maduro a "criminal dictator".
Italy also approves of US president Donald Trump's stance towards China, he said.
"Business is business, but up to certain point: when national security is at stake, a line has to be drawn. Also because telecommunications safety is more important than economics," Salvini stated.
The United States has urged countries to bar Chinese telecom giant Huawei from 5G networks because of concerns that its equipment could be used by China's government for spying or sabotage.
In a sign it shares these security concerns, Italian government in March issue a decree extending to 5G technologies its special 'golden share' powers on strategic interests.
The same month, however, Italy was the first G7 country to sign up for China's massive Belt and Road initiative to expand trade by building roads, ports and facilities across Asia and Africa to Europe - despite US criticism of the ambitious project including on security grounds.
