Iraqi Premier Nuri al-Maliki arrived in Rome Thursday for a two-day visit in which he will see Premier Silvio Berlusconi and Pope Benedict XVI.
Maliki will meet Berlusconi in the premier's office at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Thursday evening.
The Italian delegation will include the defence, interior and industry ministers.
Shortly before the meeting, Maliki told ANSA it was ''important'' to come to Italy ''to develop our already good relations and put them into practice for the stabilisation of Iraq''.
''We have age-old ties and common interests with Italy and we want Italy to play a role in stabilising Iraq,'' he said.
An Iraqi foreign ministry spokesman said last week ahead of Maliki's trip to Germany and Italy that the visits will focus on ''increasing bilateral cooperation, encouraging investments and activating joint projects''. Italy did not take part in the US-led war on Iraq but at one point deployed 3,200 troops in the country, making it the fourth largest contingent after the American, British and South Korean.
The Italian contingent withdrew from Iraq at the end of 2006.
During his meeting with Benedict on Friday, Maliki will brief the pope on ''the drive by the Iraqi government to spread the values of tolerance, equality, justice and national reconciliation among Iraqis and its efforts to create a democratic country,'' the spokesman said last Thursday.
Benedict will receive Maliki at his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome, at 11:00 local (09:00 GMT) Friday.
Immediately after the audience he will meet Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
The Pope has repeatedly called for an end to violence and inter-religious strife in Iraq, especially against the Christian minority in the country.
He condemned the February kidnapping and murder of Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, Paulos Faraj Rahho, as an ''act of inhuman violence that offends the dignity of the human being''.
Maliki will fly back to Baghdad on Saturday morning.
