Upcoming Russia-EU Summit to Become Crucial Stage in Creating Single Europe

The upcoming Russia-EU summit scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg will become a "crucial stage in creating a single and prosperous Europe", Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov stated when speaking on Wednesday in Rome at the presentation of the project of Italy's participation in the celebration of St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary.

Such meeting will be held for the first time and will have both political and symbolic significance emphasising powerful unification tendencies, which are currently developing in Europe, Mr. Ivanov pointed out.

Celebration of St. Petersburg's jubilee "is far outside the national borders", Igor Ivanov pointed out. Many states expressed their desire to participate in the city's restoration and modernisation.

The programme prepared by Italy takes a special place among these initiatives, the Russian minister stressed. This programme "is a bright example of old friendship between our countries," Mr. Ivanov said. According to him, it is not accidental, as many squares and palaces in St. Petersburg were created by Italian architects.

Mr. Ivanov believes Russia-Italy co-operation in preparing St. Petersburg's jubilee "has become a proof of historically friendly relations between the two countries and confirmed the common desire to create a single Europe." "The arrangements are aimed at showing that European states have a common history, a common culture and must have a common stable, prosperous and safe future," the Russian foreign minister stated.