Comment by the Information and Press Department on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s working visit to Italy
On December 1, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to the Italian Republic on a working visit, during which he will hold talks with Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Angelino Alfano.
The ministers will continue the political dialogue on promoting multifaceted bilateral cooperation. They will also discuss current aspects of Russian-Italian political, trade and economic ties, primarily in the context of ongoing efforts to implement the agreements reached at the top level.
They will give much attention to international issues, including possible solutions to the regional crises in Syria, Libya, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, as well as bilateral cooperation at the UN (Italy is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2017) and the OSCE, which Italy will chair in 2018.
Italy is one of Russia’s leading political and economic partners in Western Europe. Relations between them are based on mutual understanding and trust and remain stable despite the unfavourable outside factors. Russia and Italy maintain contact at the top level. Of great importance for bilateral relations were an official visit to Russia by President Sergio Mattarella on April 10−13, 2017 and a working meeting between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Italy Paolo Gentiloni on May 17, 2017. Multifaceted ties are maintained between the parliaments of Russia and Italy, as well as their judicial authorities, ministries and agencies, regions, academic institutions, universities and other schools, cultural establishments and civil societies.
Positive changes have been reported in bilateral trade and economic relations: trade has increased 19.1 per cent to $17 billion in the first nine months of 2017 after a 60 per cent plunge in 2014−2016 (from $53.8 billion in 2013 to $19.8 billion in 2016).
This achievement is largely attributable to the joint Russian-Italian Council on Economic, Industrial, Currency and Financial Cooperation. The council met in Moscow on November 7, 2017 and was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkvich and Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano. Measures have been outlined to strengthen bilateral cooperation under the “Made with Italy” principle and to localise Italian companies’ business in the context of Russia’s import substitution policy.
Russian-Italian cultural and humanitarian cooperation has always been noted for its special quality. The parties will consider the possibility of promoting ties between their culture establishments. Russia is preparing for the 2018 Russian Seasons in Italy, which will include exhibitions from Russia’s largest museums and tours by the best Russian theatres and performing groups. Our Italian partners are planning to hold a number of reciprocal exhibitions in Russia, including within the framework of the Italian Museums project.
Sergey Lavrov will attend the third international conference of the Rome MED – Mediterranean Dialogues, to which he has been invited by Foreign Minister Alfano. Rome MED events are organised by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies to develop new approaches and solutions to problems in the Mediterranean, where growing instability is increasing the threat to international security. Sergey Lavrov attended previous Rome MED events in 2015 and 2016.
