ROME (Sputnik) — According to Dvorkovich, the two countries have the potential to make agreements on many new initiatives. He noted that not only major companies, but small and medium enterprises should also be involved, stressing that there were opportunities in various sectors such as agriculture and digital services.
"At the moment, according to the official statistics, Italian direct investments amount to $4 billion. I am sure that the volume [of investments] may be doubled in the next three-five years, I am talking about such sectors as engineering, energy, agriculture, chemistry and transport. I don't doubt that we will be able to double Italian investments to Russia. It will be mutually beneficial for both parties," he said on the sidelines of the presentation of Russian investment opportunities in Rome.
On June 28, the European Union officially extended its sanctions against Russia for another six months over the Ukrainian crisis. They are now set to expire on January 31, 2018.
Also on June 28, Italy’s ambassador to Moscow Cesare Maria Ragaglini stressed that the sanctions and counter-sanctions regime should not become a barrier for Italian companies to invest to Russia.
