Italy has announced the return of 145 ancient Greek coins to Greece — coins originally discovered on the island of Kos between 1929 and 1930 and held at the Archaeological Museum of Rome. The commitment was made public by Italy's Culture Minister, Alessandro Giuli, during a meeting in Athens with his Greek counterpart, Lina Mendoni.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in his joint statements with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni after the conclusion of the High Cooperation Council between Greece and Italy, stressed that “ we did not have a formal diplomatic meeting but an essential opportunity to coordinate our steps with passion on all issues from regional developments to migration.” Mitsotakis emphasised that Greece and Italy are bound by profound political, historical, and economic connections, facing shared challenges in an increasingly uncertain world.

He stressed the need for more frequent meetings of the High Cooperation Council.  "The joint statement we signed reflects strategic cooperation. We want to triple the cooperation between our two countries in the electric interconnection," Mitsotakis noted. 

Referring to the agreement signed with the Italian state railway company, he described it as significant, noting that it marks a restart of a relationship that had been tested in the wake of the Tempi tragedy. Under the agreement, Greece is committed to investing over 400 million euros in upgrading the rail network and installing modern safety systems, while Italy will contribute 360 million euros for new trains and depots.

He added that economic relations and bilateral trade were also among the topics discussed with his Italian counterpart.

Mitsotakis also referenced their discussions concerning Syria and Libya, stating: “ We are no longer focusing on the internal redistribution of refugees; instead, we are prioritising the protection of our borders, combating smuggling rings, enhancing return policies, and reorganising our approach to receiving legal migrants.”
Referring to Ukraine, he noted that “ we support an unconditional 30-day ceasefire”.

Mitsotakis emphasised the need to strengthen European defence and Greek-Italian defence cooperation. "We share the view that our cooperation with the US is necessary and essential to reach a mutually beneficial trade agreement. We must avoid a trade war; we must make every effort to keep the West united against the challenges we face," Mitsotakis added.

Memorandum of Cooperation

A Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Development of Greece and the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy was signed on Monday in Rome, in the framework of the High Cooperation Council of the two countries, under the leadership of PΜ Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.

The agreement was signed by Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos and his Italian counterpart Adolfo Urso, aiming to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as industrial policy, support for small and medium-sized enterprises and innovation.

Theodorikakos stressed that "the agreement takes on particular importance in view of the successive EU presidencies of Greece in the second half of 2027 and Italy in the first half of 2028. It comes, to lay the institutional foundations of an already dynamic and productive cooperation between the business and industrial communities of the two countries".