Bringing the entire western Balkans into the European Union and NATO will boost the EU's profile internationally and enable the bloc to "coherently" uphold "Euro-Atlantic" values and principles, foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said on Thursday.
"Euro-Atlantic principles underpin our action aimed at guaranteeing shared vision and coherent action in the geographical areas that are our strategic priority," Di Maio said.
He was addressing the 'Italy, Europe and the World: Revival and Transition' conference organised by the International Affairs Institute (IAI) in Rome.
"Guided by this vision, Italy supports the entry of the Western Balkan countries into the EU and their greater integration within NATO," Di Maio said.
"The EU must speak with an increasingly united voice on the main geopolitical dossiers...in order to raise its international profile and strengthen synergies with our Atlantic and G7 partners," he underlined.
Among the western Balkans countries - Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia - only Croatia has entered the EU. Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia have also yet to join NATO.
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