Baku: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday held a one-on-one meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who arrived in Azerbaijan on a working visit, according to the presidential press service.

According to Anadolu Agency, following expanded-format talks, Aliyev stated that Italy is a key market for Azerbaijan for both oil and gas. He noted that 25 billion cubic meters of natural gas were exported last year, with 9.5 billion cubic meters going to Italy.

Aliyev indicated that discussions are ongoing to increase export volumes. 'To achieve this, it is naturally necessary to expand the TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) project, which is part of the Southern Gas Corridor. It has already been expanded to a certain extent, but this process is ongoing,' Aliyev said, as reported by state news agency Azertac.

Aliyev also referred to Azerbaijan and Italy as strategic partners, emphasizing that Italy remains Baku's top trade partner.