FILE PHOTO: Italian Finance and Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri talks to media before the informal meeting of ministers for economic and financial affairs (ECOFIN) and Eurogroup in Helsinki, Finland, 13 September 2019. Lehtikuva/Martti Kainulainen via REUTERS

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's new economy minister said on Friday that the Milan bourse, which is part of the London Stock Exchange Group LSE.L, is a strategic asset because it controls domestic government bond trading platform MTS.

“Any developments affecting Italian government bond market MTS are relevant for (Italy’s) national interests,” Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said in a statement.

The note was released just as the London Stock Exchange rejected Hong Kong Exchange's 0388.HK $39 billion takeover offer, opting to stick with its planned purchased of data and analytics group Refinitiv.