Italy and Malaysia's relations are "excellent" and Italy views the Asian nation as a "privileged" and "strategic" partner, Foreign Undersecretary Manlio Di Stefano told Malaysia's industry minister Teresa Kok Suh Sim during talks in Rome on Friday.
"The Undersecretary congratulated the Minister over the excellent bilateral relations that recorded sizable trade volumes worth 2.3 billion euros in 2018," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"In recalling that several Italian companies are operating in Malaysia, Mr Di Stefano emphasised how the country is a privileged partner for Italy, also as the strategic gateway to the broader area of Southeast Asia."
During their meeting, Di Stefano and Kok Suh Sim agreed to strive to further strengthen bilateral economic ties, according to the statement.
Di Stefano and Kok Suh Sim also addressed the issue of palm oil-based biofuels and the European Union's RED II Directive, which aims to stop the use of crops that cause deforestation in transportation fuel by 203, the statement said.
Kok Suh Sim's delegation outlined the government's strategy to protect forests and Malaysia's national palm oil sustainability certification system, while Di Stefano underscored the need to continue along the road of sustainable production and of combating deforestation, the statement concluded.
