Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi met on Wednesday with his British counterpart David Cameron and the two leaders discussed commercial ties between the two countries and global issues.
Cameron, on his first visit to Italy, arrived late at Palace Chigi, seat of the Italian government, due to a delay of his flight. The two leaders canceled the final joint press conference but had a 2-hour dinner.
According to Ansa news agency, topics discussed included the Middle East peace process, Afghanistan stabilization, Iran's preoccupying nuclear program developments, European Union (EU) diplomacy, the global crisis and bilateral ties.
At a EU level, Berlusconi and Cameron talked about ways to build a strategic, stronger bridge between Rome and London capable of outbalancing the French-German central axis, especially with regard to the new European diplomatic network introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, where Italy and Britain aim at maintaining some authority.
The two leaders had already met at the Group of Eight (G8) and Group of 20 (G20) summits in June, but the real signal that something big was moving in Italy-Britain relations occurred in July when the foreign ministers of the two countries met in London to launch a "privileged" cooperation in the field of common defense, primarily concerning infrastructures' safety technology and the creation of a pilotless aircraft fighter.
Cameron, on his first visit to Italy, arrived late at Palace Chigi, seat of the Italian government, due to a delay of his flight. The two leaders canceled the final joint press conference but had a 2-hour dinner.
According to Ansa news agency, topics discussed included the Middle East peace process, Afghanistan stabilization, Iran's preoccupying nuclear program developments, European Union (EU) diplomacy, the global crisis and bilateral ties.
At a EU level, Berlusconi and Cameron talked about ways to build a strategic, stronger bridge between Rome and London capable of outbalancing the French-German central axis, especially with regard to the new European diplomatic network introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, where Italy and Britain aim at maintaining some authority.
The two leaders had already met at the Group of Eight (G8) and Group of 20 (G20) summits in June, but the real signal that something big was moving in Italy-Britain relations occurred in July when the foreign ministers of the two countries met in London to launch a "privileged" cooperation in the field of common defense, primarily concerning infrastructures' safety technology and the creation of a pilotless aircraft fighter.
