So, good morning everyone, thank you for being here. I am very happy to have been able to welcome Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob to Palazzo Chigi today.
We have had an in-depth, fruitful exchange of views on the main issues on the bilateral agenda, on the European agenda and on the international agenda.
We spoke about how to strengthen our bilateral cooperation, which is going very well, as indeed has historically been the case, especially in recent times.
As Italy and Slovenia, we share the geographical area of the northern Adriatic, and we want to work together to once again give it central importance also at international level.

We shared our mutual satisfaction with the excellent level of trade reached, which was worth the record figure of EUR 14 billion in 2022, and the growing interconnection between our economic systems. However, we also spoke about the areas in which we can strengthen this cooperation and continue to grow together: certainly energy, certainly defence, certainly infrastructure – strategic sectors that can also be useful for cooperation, to strengthen our overall presence in our common area and our bilateral relations.
I wish to thank Prime Minister Golob for confirming Slovenia’s backing for Rome’s candidacy to host World Expo 2030, which is a great opportunity for Italy and can also certainly be an excellent opportunity in terms of its important positive repercussions for Slovenia and the entire Adriatic-Ionian region.

The cross-border dimension is clearly a defining element of our bilateral cooperation’s intense growth. We spoke a lot with the Prime Minister about the fact that Gorizia and Nova Gorica have been named European Capitals of Culture for 2025. We are ready to work together to ensure this shared nomination is a great success and are ready to undertake various initiatives together. This bears witness not only to the vitality and richness of this area, but also to the fact that these destinies are often interconnected and, in our view, this project can offer important economic and social development opportunities for both our nations.
The presence of minority groups, the native Italian one in Slovenia and the Slovenian one in Italy, is an issue that is obviously close to both our hearts and we have agreed to keep open a channel of ongoing dialogue and continuous constructive discussions.
We are aware of the difficulties caused for our cross-border communities by the border controls that Italy and Slovenia have had to reintroduce in order to tackle the security challenges arising from the current international context and the increasing migratory pressure at our borders. Clearly, we are both aware that Schengen was an extraordinary achievement that must be safeguarded. Our common commitment is to restore normal border arrangements as soon as conditions allow, and we both know, and we have worked very well with Prime Minister Golob over the last few months, that, in order to defend the area of free movement within the EU’s borders, it is crucial to continue working on the external dimension.
The more effective our defence of the European Union’s external borders is, the more we will be effective in also defending internal free movement.
As always, we noted our shared views regarding the prospect of EU membership for the Western Balkans: this is a matter that both our nations have historically been actively involved in. 
It is crucial for us to speed up this process. As you know, I have always spoken of a ‘reunification’ of Europe rather than ‘enlargement’ of the European Union. I believe, and I shall say it again, that Europe is not a club, that it is not for us to decide who is European and who isn’t, and that the more we can give important signals (I am thinking, for example, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the next European Council meeting, the possibility also here to make concrete progress regarding European Union accession procedures), the more we can manage to clearly do this work, the more effective we will be, and the more we will succeed in making our continent the great dimension of solidarity we have always believed and thought it should be.

We spoke about Ukraine, reaffirming our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, victim of an unjustified aggression by the Russian Federation, and our commitment to achieve a just peace in full respect of international law.

We spoke about the Middle East and the initiatives that we can pursue, also together, particularly from a humanitarian point of view. In this regard, there are some interesting ideas following up on the work that Italy, for example, is doing with the hospital on a ship off the coast of Gaza.

Lastly, I would like to wish Slovenia every success in the role of non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, which it will take on as of 1 January 2024. I am certain that Ljubljana will once again prove its capabilities, and I am happy to have another friend that sits on the United Nations Security Council.

I also want to say to Prime Minister Golob that I hope I will soon be able to return the courtesy of this visit; there are several possibilities, certainly the preparations regarding the nomination of Gorizia and Nova Gorica could be an opportunity, or the 9th of May which, as we know, will mark the twentieth anniversary of Slovenia joining the European Union, so a great occasion for celebration and I would be happy to participate if that is the date when I can, but in any case I will certainly be in Slovenia myself soon. 
So, thank you, Prime Minister, for being here, thank you for our extremely fruitful discussion following up on the work we have already begun and which can certainly be another springboard to further strengthen our cooperation.

[Courtesy translation]