Russian Foreign Ministry believes in prospects of economic cooperation with Italy, regrets that bilateral meetings didn't take place
ST. PETERSBURG. May 23 (Interfax) - During a Russian-Italian business dialogue at the St. Petersburg international economic forum on Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov called on Italian businesses in invest in Russian projects, despite possible temporary difficulties caused by the situation in the world.
Russian-Italian trade turnover exceeded $53 billion in 2013, Meshkov said. "It is important that these dynamics continue," he said.
The number of Russian tourists visiting Italy neared 1 million people a year for the first time in 2013, and political contacts continue, too, Meshkov said.
"Of course, there are problems, and it was the stance taken by the European Union on Russia over the events in Ukraine, it was not Russia that started that crisis [in Ukraine], and we were very surprised to learn that some people believe the Russian Federation is responsible for what is happening. We are interested in a de-escalation of the crisis," Meshkov said.
In the meantime, Meshkov said the international situation is impacting Russian-Italian business relations. Specifically, he lamented the fact that the 14th Russian-Italian session on economic cooperation has still not convened. The industry session scheduled to take place in Suzdal, which was supposed to be significant for both countries, has also been postponed. "Such steps hardly promote business development," he said.
"However, I would like to reiterate that we believe in Italian business. Crises come and go, but trade and economic interests between our countries remain. Increasingly interesting infrastructure projects, in which Italian businesses can participate, are appearing in Russia," he said.