US Vice President Joe Biden, meeting Italian Premier Matteo Renzi in Rome Friday, thanked him for Italy's contribution to security from Afghanistan to Iraq to the Mediterranean basin, the White House said. Biden and Renzi also discussed "our common efforts to degrade and defeat ISIS, cooperation against terrorism and efforts to combat violent extremism," the White House said. They also concurred on the importance of fully implementing the Minsk accords on Ukraine and the importance of energy diversification, it said.

Earlier, Italian sources said Renzi and Biden saw eye to eye on the current troubled geopolitical situation, especially as regards Syria and Libya. The meeting at Villa Taverna, the official residence of the US ambassador, lasted about an hour, the sources said. They added that the encounter took place in an "excellent atmosphere" and that Biden expressed "great praise" of Renzi and Italy's commitment to the international coalition against terror and ISIS.

Source: Ansa