Italian Prime Minister to Attend St. Petersburg Economic Forum

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said that Russia and Italy may sign a range of contracts on agricultural projects during the St. Petersburg economic forum in June.

ROME (Sputnik) — Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in June and is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said Friday.

"We agreed on the main stages of preparation for the visit of Prime Minister Renzi to St. Petersburg. We are looking forward to his visit for talks with the Russian president, as well as to participate in the events at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum," Dvorkovich said at a press conference in Rome, following a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

According to the Russian official, the Italian delegation headed by Renzi will include a large number of business representatives.

"[The sides] will prepare a fairly large list of agreements, memorandums and contracts to be signed in the presence of the leaders of our countries," Dvorkovich said.

"In the area of agriculture, we have agreed to implement dozens of projects in Russia…and we think that we will be able to sign contracts on some of them at the St. Petersburg forum," Dvorkovich added.

The SPIEF is an international economics and business event, which attracts politicians, entrepreneurs, scientists and media persons to discuss the most significant issues for Russia and the global community. The next SPIEF is expected to take place on June 16-18.