"My visit confirms Italy's historic friendship and closeness to Lebanon especially since the tragic explosion on 4 August, Conte said after talks with Lebanon's president Michel Aoun in Beirut on Tuesday.
"I express the Italian government's and the entire international community's condolences to the Lebanese people over this event which has shaken the whole word."
Italy and Lebanon have "an antique tradition of very close ties," Conte underlined. He was on a one-day visit to Lebanon's blast-hit capital.
These ties "have been cemented by many years of intense cooperation - a bond that has been renewed in this time of emergency," he said.
Italy was among the first countries to respond to last month's devastating blast and "has continued to be at the frontline of the emergency including the most complex part - that of reconstruction", Conte said.
At the end of August, Italy sent Lebanon two Italian navy vessels, a helicopter and a C-130 aircraft, a team of divers specialised in bomb disposal, a 32-bed camp hospital, three intensive-care units and rubble removing equipment. It has also airlifted essential aid.
