Foreign minister Luigi Di Maio began a two-day visit to Montenegro and Bosnia on Monday aimed at boosting bilateral relations between Italy and the two Balkan countries, especially business ties.
"Today and tomorrow I am visiting Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Maximum commitment to creating new business opportunities and growth for Italian companies, at home as well as abroad," Di Maio wrote on Facebook.
Di Maio is the first foreign minister among Montenegro's major international partners to visit the Balkan country since its new government was formed in December, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
In Podgorica, Di Maio was due to hold talks with his Montenegrin counterpart Djordje Radulovic and premier Zdravko Krivokapicc, according to the statement.
Bilateral relations between the two Adriatic countries will then be the focus of talks with deputy premier Dritan Abazovic and Parliament speaker Alexsa Becic.
Italy is Montenegro's fourth largest supplier and the value of trade between the two countries in 2020 is estimated at 130 million euros, of which exports made up 116 million euros.
