Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini said Italy is ready to play a crucial role in the cooperation between Moldova and the EU. The statement was made during a meeting with the Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca, who has been in Rome on a visit. Franco Frattini said he knows about Moldova's European aspirations and that Italy is disposed to support its multi-dimensional cooperation with the European Union. He said that Italy could help Moldova in the negotiation of the visa liberalizaion agreement as it has the necessary experience, giving as example the success made in this process by the Balkan states. The Italian official praised the Moldovan communities in Italy, saying they are cooperative and do not create problems to the Italian authorities. Therefore, the Moldovan communities could play a major role in developing the relations between the two countries. The minister also said the Italian authorities decided to initiate preparations for negotiating an agreement on the social protection of the Moldovans in Italy with the Government of Moldova.