The coronavirus pandemic has further strengthened Italy's relations with Germany, foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday during a visit to Rome by his German counterpart Heiko Maas.
"The COVID crisis has boosted our cooperation - both at its height and now that we are dealing with its economic and social consequences," Di Maio told Maas during a visit to the Spallanzani hospital.
"The well-established collaboration between the Spallanzani and (Germany's) the Robert Koch institute is a prime example of the intensity of bilateral relations in the scientific and medical field," Di Maio went on.
Rome's Spallanzani infectious diseases hospital is where many of Italy's coronavirus patients have been treated, while Robert Koch is Germany's public health institute and a global health hub.
A total 44 patients were flown to Germany for intensive care treatment at the height of Italy's dramatic COVID-19 outbreak, the last of whom returned home on 18 June, Di Maio said.
