Premier Paolo Gentiloni said relations with France will be stronger thanks to a new treaty Rome and Paris are working on after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. "I think it is very important that we have decided to give a more stable, more ambitious framework to the historic relations between Italy and France," Gentiloni told a news conference, "with the idea, which had emerged at the (recent) Lyon summit, to put a group of people at work for a Italo-French bilateral treaty. "We have always cooperated in an extraordinary way, but we are convinced that this can make our relations even stronger and more systematic". French President Emmanuel Macron echoed those sentiments about thee new 'Quirinal Treaty', named after the resident of the Italian president. "There is a structural Franco-German relationship and it is at the origin of Europe," Macron told a press conference. "When France and Germany are unable to agree, Europe cannot move forward. "But that relationship is not exclusive. The tie with Italy has another history - cultural ties, a special, specific relationship.
"And it is not in competition, nor inferior, but perfectly complementary to the Franco-German relationship.
"The relationship is strong at all levels and we wanted to give it a new form with the Quirinal Treaty".
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