President Vladimir Putin: President Carlo Ciampi and I have come to the unanimous conclusion that the development of bilateral ties is of primary importance for both Russia and Italy.
The broad dialogue between the Italian Republic and the Russian Federation is an increasingly important factor of building a constructive environment in Europe and the whole world.
The political dialogue is strongly supported by a solid economic foundation. Trade between the two countries has grown from $4.9 billion last year to $7 billion this year.
We believe that President Ciampi’s current visit to Moscow will give a fresh impetus to the development of positive relations between our two countries. We value our mutual trust at all levels of interaction. Russia and Italy easily find common ground when they need to pool their efforts to solve complex international problems.
Russia’s relations with Italy are also valuable to us because Italy is an essential part of united Europe. In addition, Italy is one of our major economic partners and a consistent supporter of further developing our economic contacts.
I am convinced that President Ciampi’s visit to Moscow will yield positive results.