Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio on Friday took part in a virtual ASEM summit at which European and Asian leaders reaffirmed their commitment to working together to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"During the meeting, the effectiveness of multilateralism was reaffirmed as a crucial tool for meeting global challenges," read a foreign ministry statement.
"Within its 2021 G20 Presidency, Italy is at the forefront of fighting the pandemic and promoting inclusive and sustainable economic recovery," the statement added.
Under the title ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth', the 25-26 November summit brought together heads of state and government from 30 European countries and 20 Asian partners, the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General.
EU-Asia connectivity remain a major focus of the EU.
