Italy's foreign minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi and his Paraguayan counterpart Luis Alberto Castiglioni agreed on the need to give fresh impetus to bilateral relations during talks in Rome on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"There was full agreement on the need to re-launch relations between the two countries, which have historically been friendly, also due to the many people in Paraguay who are of Italian descent - more than 30 percent of the population," the statement said.
Discussions between Milanesi and Castiglioni covered "topics of mutal interest at bilateral and regional level" and covered progress in the negotiations on an Association Agreement between the European Union and South American trade bloc Mercosur, according to the statement.
Also present at the talks at foreign ministry was Paraguayan member of parliament Sebastian Garcia, the statement noted.