Sergio Mattarella

Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who is visiting Montenegro, has assessed that this country is ready for membership in NATO.

Mattarella on Tuesday added that he is confident Montenegro will get an invitation to join by the end of the year.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella laid wreaths at the Italian military cemetery in Belgrade on Monday.

After laying wreaths for Italian soldiers killed in World War I, Nikolic and Mattarella laid wreaths at the Serbian memorial tomb of the defenders of Belgrade in World War I.

PM Aleksandar Vucic on Monday in Belgrade received visiting Italian President Sergio Mattarella to discuss cooperation and the EU integration process.

Vucic "expressed his gratitude to Mattarella for the support by Italy to Serbia on its European path and stressed that Serbia sees Italy as a very friendly country."

President of Italy Sergio Mattarella started Monday his official visit to Serbia by meeting his Serbian counterpart Tomislav Nikolic.

Mattarella, who is in Belgrade on Nikolic's invitation, was given an official welcome in front of the Palace of Serbia with Guard of Honor lined up as an orchestra played the two countries' national anthems.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella will pay a visit to Serbia on Monday, May 25, it was announced on Friday.

Mattarella is coming at the invitation of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, the Serbian president's media relations office said in a statement.

AGERPRES special correspondent Florentina Peia reports: Romania's President Klaus Iohannis on Monday met his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, the official residence of the Italian president, with Matarella saying the time has come for Romania to be a member of the Schengen Area.

Photo credit: (c) Radu TUTA / AGERPRES PHOTO

AGERPRES special correspondent Florentina Peia reports: President Klaus Iohannis, on a two-day official visit in Rome, has met on Monday with his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella.

Presidents Klaus Iohannis and Sergio Mattarella meet at Quirinale Palace in Rome
Photo credit: (c) Radu TUTA / AGERPRES PHOTO

ROME - Serbian Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic, who is attending the EU Speakers Conference in Rome, said that she expects the first chapters in the EU accession talks to be opened this year, the parliament speaker's office said in a release on Tuesday.

Billionaire Michele Ferrero, who became Italy's richest man with a confectionary empire built on his popular Nutella spread, has died at the age of 89.
      
Ferrero had been battling illness for several months. He died in Monte Carlo on Saturday.
     

The Italian Parliament elected Sergio Mattarella as the country's president on Saturday at its fourth attempt.

In the previous three rounds, which took place on Thursday and Friday, none of the candidates managed to gather two-thirds majority or 673 votes.