The Premier of Italy Giuseppe Conte is paying an official visit to Bulgaria. Italy is our important partner in the EU and NATO and we maintain excellent relations with this country, Bulgaria’s Premier Boyko Borissov said. He voiced hopes that the Italian investments in Bulgaria will increase and that more Bulgarian products will be sold on Italy’s market. Premiers Borissov and Conte assessed positively the bilateral trade which saw 10.2% increase year on year and amounted to over EUR 4.96 billion. Bulgaria wants to boost partnership with Italy in the energy sphere, because this country coordinates the strategic project for the Southern Gas Corridor. Italy plays an important role in the construction of the Balkan Stream gas pipeline to the border with Serbia after the signature of the contract between Bulgartransgaz and the Italian-Saudi consortium Arkad Engineering, Boyko Borissov said.