Italy's foreign minister Angelino Alfano will on Friday meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov at Villa Madama in Rome, the foreign ministry said. Alfano and Lavrov will hold a joint press conference after their meeting, the foreign ministry added.
During their meeting, the two ministers will discuss international issues including the crises in the Mediterranean region and turmoil-wracked Libya, Alfano told Italian daily La Stampa in an interview on Saturday.
"We recognise the role played by Russia as global actor and essential interlocutor in the Mediterranean crises," Alfano said in the interview.
Like Italy, Russia backs the political mediation being carried out by United Nations special representative to Libya, Ghassan Salame, Alfano said.
"This year we have developed a fruitful dialogue with Moscow on Libya and other topics," Alfano stated.
