 |
|
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (R) poses with Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev in front of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" painting in Milan July 23, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters)
|
ROME, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi met on Friday with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to discuss bilateral ties and pave the way for further trade agreements.
Berlusconi praised the excellent state of relations between the two countries. "Italy and Russia have always enjoyed a special friendship and this is proven by the fact that in the first quarter of the year bilateral trade rose by 41 percent," he stressed.
The two leaders observed that the commercial liaison ahead was even brighter for prosperous cooperation between Italian and Russian firms.
Acknowledging that the crisis was over in both countries, Medvedev said he looked forward to boosting trade with Italy. " Russia is expected to grow by 5 percent this year and Italy as well is set to perform well."
But it's not just a question of economic interests. Personal relations between Russia and Italy are outstanding.
Appealing to Berlusconi, Medvedev said he was "without doubt among the most authoritative and experienced" leaders of the Group of Eight (G8), adding that he "always followed very carefully what Silvio does and how he answers questions".
Berlusconi expressed his desire that Italian firms had a major role in Russia's modernization process, while Medvedev invited Italy's technological industries to invest in his country so as to fill Russia's innovation gap and transfer precious know-how and skills.
As for strategic sectors of future bilateral agreements the Russian president indicated pharmaceutics, space, nuclear energy and telecommunications. "In all these areas Italian firms are more than welcome," he said.
