An Embassy and a Consulate of Italy will be opened in Chisinau in the near future, the Italian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Marco Stradiotto said during a meeting between the Moldovan Minister of Economy and Trade Igor Dodon and an Italian delegation. According to the Italian official, trade between Moldova and Italy is increasing and therefore the authorities in Rome are inclined to make everything possible to strengthen these relations, especially after Moldova has started the European integration process. Marco Stradiotto welcomed the decision of the Moldovan Government to set up industrial parks in districts, practice that proved its efficiency during the economic history of Italy, transforming the Italian region of Padua, for instance, from agrarian region into one of the richest industrial regions of Italy. Speaking about the strengthening of the Moldovan-Italian relations, Marco Stradiotto stressed the necessity of opening air routes between the two states, first of all the route Chisinau-Milan. The Italian delegation is in Chisinau on a working visit organised by the Moldovan-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is composed of officials and businessmen – the Italian Ambassador in Bucharest Danielle Mancini, president of the Padua Industrial Zone and Fluvial Port Consortium Angelo Boshetti, president of the Industrial Consortium for Developing the Province of Rieti Andrea Ferroni, administrator of Gruppo Venetto Banca Nicola Damiani, and others. According to unofficial statistics, Italy places the second after the Russian Federation by the number of Moldovans working in this country and by the volume of remittances sent by them to Moldova. Until present, it was the Italian Embassy in Bucharest that provided diplomatic services for the Moldovan citizens, but this process became very difficult when Romania joined the European Union and when the visa regime was instituted.