President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a telephone conversation with Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, Giuseppe Conte, as reported by the press service of the head of state.
Zelensky thanked Italy for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, noting the importance of maintaining the sanctions regime against the Russian Federation as an effective mechanism for ensuring the implementation by Moscow of the Minsk agreements.
Conte congratulated Zelensky with a convincing victory in the early parliamentary elections.
It is noted that the interlocutors discussed the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries as well as interpersonal contacts.
The president conveyed an invitation to the President of the Italian Republic to visit Ukraine.
The recent verdict of the Pavia city court to Ukrainian citizen Vitaly Markiv on charges of murder of Italian journalist Andrea Rocchelli in Donbas in 2014 was also discussed.
Zelensky offered legal assistance on the part of Ukraine in conducting a thorough joint examination of the circumstances of Rocchelli's death.
He expressed concern over the unjustifiably harsh court verdict and stressed the importance of an unbiased consideration of this case by the Italian Court of Appeal.
At the same time, the Italian side in its communique released following the talks, did not mention the Markiv case.
"The Prime Minister, in particular, highly appreciated the statements of President Zelensky in favor of resuming the dialogue, which could create conditions for resolving the conflict in the eastern regions of Ukraine," the communique said.
Conte also expressed hope that in the coming months, trade and economic cooperation would strengthen between Rome and Kyiv.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the court of the Italian city of Pavia convicted National Guard Vitaly Markiv, who was accused of complicity in the murder of Italian photographer Andrea Rocchelli in Donbas in 2014.
Markiv was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
President Zelensky ordered that the Foreign Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office to urgently address the issue of returning Vitaly Markiv to Ukraine.
