Italy will work "tirelessly" to boost bilateral ties with the United States and, as a European Union founder member, to mediate between the 27-member bloc and the US, foreign minister Luigi Di Maio stated on Monday ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration next week as US president.
"The Italian government will continue to work tirelessly in the area of bilateral relations, presenting itself as a loyal and proactive interlocutor between the EU - of which Italy is proud to be a founder member - and the US, which is and will continue to be our chief international ally," he said.
Di Maio's remarks came as Biden prepares to take office on 20 January and amid the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in the US and Europe this year.
"We face epoch-making challenges like the campaigns on both sides of the Atlantic to vaccinate hundreds of millions of people and the re-booting of our economies," Di Maio went on.
"Being highly integrated, they will be able to recover more quickly if we support each other," Di Maio added.
To rebuild their Coronavirus-ravaged economies, the EU and the US need to further strengthen their "historical and cultural ties", he stated.
