VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Japanese counterparty Fumio Kishida agreed at a meeting on Tuesday to strengthen ties in a range of spheres including the economy, trade and security, the leaders said.

"We have agreed to elevate our relations to the level of a strategic partnership," Meloni told reporters in a brief statement after the meeting in Rome.

Among the areas of heightened cooperation Kishida cited diplomacy, investment, railways and cinema.(Reuters)