"Despite the difficult period and the circumstances that we are now experiencing, we see that we are able to maintain economic cooperation at an acceptable level. And we very much hope that in the very near future we will be able to… move on to the growth," Mattarella said during his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Earlier in the day, a presidential memo prepared ahead of the meeting said around 500 Italian companies working in Russia have maintained a presence in the country despite EU anti-Russian sanctions.
Mattarella met with Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow earlier in the day to discuss the key issues of Russian-Italian relations with an emphasis on continued cooperation in the spheres of trade-economics, investment and cultural-humanitarian collaborations, as well as joint projects in the energy industry, transport and other areas.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Russia after the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, when Russia was accused of meddling in the neighboring country's civil conflict as well as annexing Crimea. Russia denied any involvement in the war and stressed that Crimea rejoined Russia following a democratic referendum.
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