MILAN (Reuters) - A prospective investment by Meta Platforms ( META ) in eyeglasses maker EssilorLuxottica will be a "symbolic" gesture to cement their long-term partnership, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told technology news website The Verge.

"I think we've talked about investing in them. It's not going to be a major thing. I'd say it's more of a symbolic thing. We want to have this be a long-term partnership, and as part of that, I thought that this would be a nice gesture," Zuckerberg said in a video interview published late on Wednesday on The Verge.

"I fundamentally believe in them a lot. I think that they're going to go from being the premier glasses company in the world to one of the major technology companies in the world," he added.

Earlier this month, EssilorLuxottica said it had extended its partnership with Meta for developing smart eyewear.

In July, EssilorLuxottica confirmed that the tech giant might invest in the company, after the Wall Street Journal reported that the two companies had discussed Meta taking a 5% stake in the French-Italian group.

Facebook owner Meta showed off its first working prototype of augmented-reality glasses, called Orion, during its annual Connect conference on Wednesday.