The President became close to the oligarch

Two-day Russian-Italian contacts at the highest level in a new format: informal communication in Sochi - official negotiations in the Kremlin - ended with the signing of documents of mutual understanding in the field of technical cooperation and space exploration. Answering questions from journalists, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi admitted that the level of bilateral relations does not fully correspond to the potential of the two countries. “There is a certain ballast in Russia’s relations with the rest of the world,” agreed the Russian President, Mr. Putin, and in this regard very highly appreciated the active position of Berlusconi, who advocates for Russia’s early accession to authoritative international organizations, including the WTO. The Italian prime minister noted that Russia’s worthy place in the world community is necessary for general stability and security, and emphasized, in addition, that Italy believes in the future of our country and that is why it wants to be its privileged partner - this is how the Russian president described the level of relations.

Over the past two years, trade turnover between the two countries has increased from 5.5 to 9.3 billion dollars (the second figure after Germany). Among the new projects in the economic sphere (including in the field of small and medium-sized businesses) are plans to produce 20 thousand modernized UAZ SUVs in Italy for sale on the local market, as well as in Spain, France, Portugal, and Greece.

The leaders of the two countries did not ignore the situation in the Middle East. Silvio Berlusconi called it dramatic and dangerous and called for finding a peaceful solution to the conflict. “Response actions must be adequate to the threat,” Vladimir Putin emphasized. In addition, Berlusconi, the prime minister and owner of the media, spoke about measures taken by the government in Rome to ensure the normal work of Italian journalists in Jerusalem. President Putin, for his part, noted that in the conflict zone, the spiritual values ​​located there, belonging to all of humanity, are at risk of destruction.

The tanned Italian prime minister thanked Vladimir Putin for his amazing hospitality and the atmosphere of sympathy and friendship during the negotiations. The equally tanned Russian president said that the informal conversation in Sochi lasted “until one in the morning” and covered a wide range of topics.

Andrey ZLOBIN