ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) – Italy wants to strengthen its economic presence in Russia and hopes ties between Moscow and the European Union will improve, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Friday.
Speaking at Russia’s premier economic forum, Renzi said that the fulfillment of the Minsk peace deal for eastern Ukraine is essential for lifting EU sanctions against Russia. In what sounded like a nod to Russia’s arguments that Ukraine was dragging its feet on the deal, Renzi emphasized that all parties involved should honor the deal’s terms.
“Agreements should be respected, and they should be respected by everyone,” he said.
The St. Petersburg forum was attended by chief executives of many multinationals for the first time after a two-year break amid a strain between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis. Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the EU’s executive Commission, also attended the opening Thursday, raising hope for a thaw in Russia-EU ties.
Italy was badly hurt when Moscow banned most food imports from the EU in retaliation to the EU sanctions against Russia. Still, Moscow has sought to maintain good ties with Rome, and President Vladimir Putin repeatedly visited Italy even though he was shunned in most other European capitals.