First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy Angelino Alfano, today, in Rome, on the fringes of the International Conference on the Responsibility of States, Institutions and Individuals in Combatting Anti-Semitism and Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes in the OSCE Area.

Minister Dacic commended Minister Alfano for the successful organization of today's conference on the fight against anti-Semitism, particularly in view of the increasingly evident tendencies to cast a pall of relativity over, and minimize, the committed crimes.

Ministers Dacic and Alfano agreed that the bilateral relations were at a very high level, characterized by intensive political dialogue and strategic partnership which can be further promoted. They particularly emphasized the commitment to further enhance economic cooperation, since Italy is one of Serbia's major trading and investment partners.

The Italian Foreign Minister took the opportunity to confirm, this time again, his country's continued support to Serbia's European integration, indicating that the European Commission's Enlargement Strategy entitled "Credible Perspective of Enlargement to the Western Balkans" gave an important impetus along these lines.

The themes initiated today would be deepened at the upcoming trilateral meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Italy and Albania, to be held on 27 February, in Belgrade.