Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi are holding a meeting on the outskirts of the Russian southern city of Sochi as a part of the seventh round of Russian-Italian extended intergovernmental talks.
The presidents are meeting in the Russian ski resort of Krasnaya Polyana and are expected to give a joint press-conference later in the day.
Berlusconi is on a one-day visit to Russia at the invitation of Medvedev.
The sides are expected to discuss bilateral relations, along with cultural-humanitarian cooperation, and an agreement on readmission between Russia and the EU.
Russian Finance Minister Alexrei Kudrin and Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini plan to sign an agreement on bilateral partnership in modernization.
In July, Medvedev paid a working visit to Italy at the invitation of Berlusconi.
Russia and Italy could exceed the pre-crisis levels of trade by the end of 2010, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told Berlusconi in September.
SOCHI, December 3 (RIA Novosti)