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Letta told the press after the meeting held on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum that he had lent an ear to the arguments offered by Bratušek, announcing a meeting of the responsible ministers from Slovenia and Italy.

Slovenia opposes the planned construction of the on-shore liquefied gas terminal in Aquilinia near the border with Slovenia over environmental concerns.

Talks on the issue are likely to continue on 12 September in Venice, when Letta and Bratušek will met again, with the meeting also including Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović.

Letta said that following Croatia's accession to the EU on 1 July, the north Adriatic has become an exceptionally interesting and strategic region, expressing hope that trilateral meetings such as the upcoming meeting in Venice would become a tradition.

"The former border is a great opportunity for Italy. We want to invest," he said, adding that his visit today in Bled was proof of this.

The prime ministers discussed several topics, including consolidation of public finances in both countries. Letta praised Slovenia's efforts and added that the EU should also recognise the great effort of Slovenia in this respect.

The Italian PM said that Italian companies were interested in the plans of the Slovenian government to privatise a number of state-owned companies, adding that the process would be beneficial for both sides.

Letta mentioned the interest in connecting the Venice and Ljubljana airports, adding that talks about cooperation would continue next week in Venice.

He also announced a special business conference in Milan in the autumn, at which Slovenia will be able to present in detail its privatisation plans to potential investors from Italy.

Bratušek and Letta also talked about the crisis in Syria, calling for a joint political solution and for a peace conference in Geneva to be organised as soon as possible.

Bratušek said regarding the alleged chemical weapon attack in Syria that it was "inadmissible that such atrocities are taking place in our region", adding that the National Security Council would debate the situation in Syria on Tuesday.

Letta meanwhile announced that he would discuss Syria at the upcoming G20 summit in Sankt Petersburg. He expects that a political solution will be found before the US starts its military intervention in the country.