Italy's foreign undersecretary Ivan Scalfarotto is attending the foreign ministers’ meeting of the 14th Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) on Monday in the Spanish capital Madrid, a foreign ministry statement said.
“Relations with our Asian partners are a political and economic priority for Italy," said the statement.
"However, dialogue needs to take place within the context of Europe, where we need to work continuously to ensure coherent and coordinated action by the European Union."
Scalfarotto is expected to hold bilateral talks on topics of specific interest to Italy, according to the statement.
This year's meeting is being held under the theme 'Asia and Europe: Together for Effective Multilateralism'. It will look at the best ways to strengthen ASEM as an effective multilateral platform for peace and prosperity in Asia and Europe.