PM holds working dinner with Silvio Berlusconi
Prime Minister David Cameron has travelled to Rome to meet his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi.
Mr Cameron held a working dinner with the Italian Prime Minister where discussions focused on the economy, trade and commerce links between the 2 countries, as well as co-operation in Afghanistan.
Following the meeting a Downing Street spokesperson said:
The Prime Minister had a positive and constructive working dinner with Prime Minister Berlusconi.
They discussed the next steps on the road to a strong and sustained European economic recovery. The leaders welcomed each others’ fiscal plans and agreed on the importance of galvanising trade and investment between the UK and Italy. They also agreed to work together to reduce regulation at EU-level and support small business.
The discussion also covered foreign affairs. On Afghanistan the leaders agreed that continued training of the Afghan security forces was vital to the success of the strategy. They also agreed to co-ordinate efforts on the Middle East, including implementation of EU sanctions on Iran and encouraging a move to direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Prime Minister also updated Prime Minister Berlusconi on his visit to Turkey. The leaders agreed to continue to make the case for Turkish accession to the European Union.
The two last met at June’s G8/G20 summit in Canada and also talked at the European Council meeting in Brussels in the same month.