Italy's foreign minister Angelino Alfano is making his first mission to Ukraine and Russia as chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Alfano's first appointment in Kiev is with Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin. OSCE's special representative Martin Sajdik, the head of the OSCE's special monitoring mission, Ertugrul Apakan, and OSCE's conflict prevention centre chief Marcel Pesko, will also attend the meeting, the foreign ministry stated.
Klimkin and Alfano will give a press-conference after the meeting, the ministry said.
Alfano will attend the Italy-Ukraine Business Forum in Kiev and will later hold meetings with Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko and with premier Volodymyr Groysman, said the ministry.
During his visit to Ukraine, Alfano will unveil a two million euro humanitarian aid package for conflict-hit eastern Ukraine's population.
The aid package includes 500,000 euros for food rations and basic winter necessities delivered by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and a 500,000 euro loan to the UN children's charity UNICEF to raise awareness of the dangers of landmines.
A further million euros of the humanitarian aid is earmarked for health and civilian protection provided by the Red Cross as part of the package, the ministry stated.
In Moscow, Alfano will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and hold a press briefing with Lavrov afterwards.
The final appointment of Alfano's trip is a meeting with Italian press correspondents at the Italian embassy in Moscow, said the ministry.
Italy currently chairs OSCE, a group of 57 states from Europe, Central Asia and North America which is devoted to defusing conflicts and to promoting civil rights.
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