Published : Oct. 17, 2018 - 09:03
ROME -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Italian President Sergio Mattarella held a meeting Wednesday to discuss ways to further improve the countries' bilateral ties and expand their cooperation in dealing with various regional and global issues.
The meeting came one day after the South Korean president arrived here for an official visit. Moon was set to hold a summit with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte later in the day.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook arrives in Rome, Italy (Yonhap)
"In the meeting with President Mattarella, the two presidents discussed a wide range of issues, including the countries' diplomatic and defense cooperation, ways boost their future-oriented cooperation, conditions on the Korean Peninsula and their global cooperation," Moon's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.
"President Moon thoroughly explained our government's efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish peace, and President Mattarella highly evaluated President Moon's leadership in establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula," it said in a press release.
The talks between the two leaders follows an welcome ceremony for Moon, who is currently on the second leg of his five-nation European tour that earlier took him to Paris.
The South Korean leader will later begin an official visit to the Vatican where he will attend a special mass to be presided by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
He will meet Pope Francis on Thursday before heading to Brussels for the biennial Asia-Europe Meeting that will bring together the leaders of 50 other Asian and European nations.
Moon's trip will end in Denmark on Saturday. (Yonhap)