Transcript of the beginning of the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Giorgio Napolitano:
Vladimir Putin: Mr President, colleagues and friends,
We are glad to welcome you to Moscow.
Mr President, we met in Italy a little over a year ago. I am glad to say that since then our relations have grown stronger. We have developed mutual trust and our relations are improving.
Italy is a country of the European Union, a NATO country with which we have the closest and most trusting relations. We have always counted - and we were not mistaken - on your country's support for our dialogue with Europe and the North Atlantic Alliance.
However, our bilateral relations are also developing successfully: trade is growing and our relations are becoming increasingly diversified.
We know that Italy is also living through a period of modernization. Russia faces the challenge of modernizing a whole number of key sectors of the economy. We are also working to develop our political system. It is interesting and important for us to see how similar processes are taking place in other countries, including one of the leading European countries, Italy.
I am sure, Mr President, that your visit will mark another step in strengthening our relations.
Giorgio Napolitano: Thank you, Mr Prime Minister. I was glad to accept your invitation to visit Russia. As you see it took some time to organize the visit, but I am glad that the project has been successfully realized.
I still cherish the impression of our talk that we had at the Quirinal Palace in Rome a little less than a year ago. Our talk was very frank and ranged over various topics. It confirmed an absolutely constructive tone in the relations between our two countries.
I was all the more pleased to hear the confirmation of the special and trusting relations between Russia and Italy with which you began your opening remarks.
I think our work in this direction and on this basis will help to take positive steps in relations with the European Union, as well as on international topics in the framework of bilateral relations.
You have spoken about the role Italy plays as a representative of the European Union and NATO in relations with the Russian Federation. We are aware that Russia takes a positive view of the meeting organized in Italy in Pratica di Mare which laid the foundation for regular relations, relations of cooperation between the Russian Federation and NATO.
We would welcome a joint statement on the evolution of relations after the meeting in Pratica di Mare.
Speaking about our trade, economic and cultural relations I should note that they are already at a fairly high level. But we can take them to a special, the highest level of cooperation. I would be delighted to hear your assessments and opinions regarding the issue I have touched upon.