(ANSAmed) - NICOSIA - The results achieved by sweeping surveillance-and-rescue operation Mare Nostrum 'are incredibly positive' both from a humanitarian standpoint and to combat human trafficking rings in the Mediterranean, Italian Defence Minister Mario Mauro told ANSA on Wednesday.

The minister travelled to Nicosia on Wednesday morning to meet his Cypriot counterpart Fotis Fotiou.

The meeting, which focused on defence and security cooperation, also verged on stability in Europe by boosting the southern borders of the continent and cooperation to combat illegal immigration.

Minister Mauro said that, against human trafficking, 'we agreed with Cypriot authorities that we will have a more exact and relevant exchange of information because, after our latest operation which led to the arrest of 16 Egyptian traffickers, we established that the majority of these mother-ships arrived on our coasts sailing in international waters not far from the island of Cyprus'.

'Therefore cooperation with this country is very important and I am very happy with the achievements of today's meeting on an operational level'.

Fotiou for his part stressed the importance given by his country to cooperation with Italy both in defence and security programmes, which provide for exchanges of know-how between armed forces of the two countries and joint military operations, as well as a common approach for the protection of the strategic integrity of EU seas.

He also recalled the recent 'significant development' in relations between Italy and Cyprus with the interest shown by Italian energy giant Eni for research and extraction of hydrocarbons in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). (ANSAmed)