Italian President Mattarella begins state visit to Monaco
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Italy's President Sergio Mattarella opened a two-day state visit to Monaco with private audiences at the Palace alongside Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène.
Sergio Mattarella arrived in the Principality on Friday for the first of two days of official engagements, received at the Palais Princier by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène. The Italian head of state, accompanied by his daughter, held private audiences covering the economic and cultural ties between Rome and Monaco, with health cooperation and air transport links also raised during the talks.
State visits of this kind are rare enough in Monaco to draw attention well beyond diplomatic circles, and this one comes amid ongoing discussions about connectivity between the two countries, a topic of practical relevance given the number of Italian residents and cross-border business operating out of the Principality. Further engagements are expected on Saturday as the visit continues.
Neither the Palace nor the Italian delegation has released further detail on the substance of the discussions, though the choice of subjects, health and transport alongside the economic relationship, suggests a working visit rather than a purely ceremonial one.