Crimean Delegation Pays Official Visit to North Italy Ahead of Yalta Forum

A delegation of Crimean officials headed by Yalta Mayor Andrei Rostenko made an official trip earlier this month to northern Italy, in response to last October’s visit by Italian lawmakers and business leaders.

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) — The delegation returned from their week-long trip to the northeastern provinces of Veneto and Emilia-Romagna this Wednesday.

"During our trip, we held constructive meetings and visited industrial production sites for talks," Rostenko said in a statement circulated by his press office.

In Veneto, they met with Regional Council President Roberto Chambetti and visited vineyards near the city of Verona. In Emilia-Romagna, Crimean delegates made a trip to clam fisheries in Goro and visited the University of Bologna’s Agricultural Department.

Rostenko said Italian companies had showed interest in participating in projects on Crimean soil, specifically in the southern Yalta region. The trip came in the run up to a third Yalta economic forum that is aimed at finding points of common interest.