Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) made an unannounced visit to Italy on Saturday and met with several Italian lawmakers, according to their social media posts and local media reports.
The Italian news site Le Formiche reported that Wu met with Paolo Formentini, vice president of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Italian Chamber, and his colleague Igor Iezzi in Milan on Saturday.
Formentini told the news site that the meeting was an opportunity for him to reiterate Italy's stance in upholding the cross-Taiwan Strait status quo and reaffirm the so-called Free and Open Indo Pacific strategy.
Formentini also said that the meeting was "very positive," with Wu thanking initiatives raised by Italian lawmakers in safeguarding a Free and Open Indo Pacific region.
In a tweet, Formentini posted a photo of him shaking hands with Wu with the caption saying in Italian: "Always on the side of freedom. Today we met Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu in Milan."
Iezzi, meanwhile, also confirmed the meeting with a separate tweet in Italian: "It is an honor to meet with the Foreign Minister of Taiwan today."
In Taipei, however, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNA it has no comment on the reported meeting in Milan.
As Italy does not formally recognize the Republic of China, Taiwan's official name, meetings between serving Italian politicians and ministers from Taiwan are a rarity.
Prior to visiting Italy, Wu, who arrived in Europe on Monday, made stops in Poland, the Czech Republic and Belgium, according to international media reports.
MOFA did not provide a detailed itinerary for Wu's trip, divulging only that he gave a talk at a Czech Republic summit, met with Ukrainian refugees in Prague, and also met with 12 members of the European Parliament while in Brussels.
