Italy and Bolivia want to boost bilateral relations, especially in the fields of defence, law enforcement and transport, the foreign ministry said on Thursday after talks in Rome between undersecretary Ricardo Merlo and Bolivia's deputy-minster for international relations, Carmen Almendras Camargo.
Mero and Camargo "reaffirmed the desire for solidarity and increasingly intense collaboration between the two countries, reviewing various aspects of bilateral relations, regional issues and multilateral issues of common interest," the foreign ministry stated.
"In particular, the commitment to rapidly finalize bilateral agreements in the fields of defence and the fight against organized crime," the ministry added.
Italian companies are eyeing investment in the 'Central Bioceanic Railway Corridor' project, a railway that aims to connect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the subcontinent, "in consideration of its importance for socio-economic development and 'integration of the region," the statement went on.
Undersecretary Merlo congratulated Bolivia on the high rates of economic growth and political stability in recent years and confirmed the interest of Italian companies in investing in the country, in a process that the Italian government intends to support, the statement said.
