Russian President Vladimir Putin To Meet Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi In The Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to meet Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in the Kremlin Thursday. Berlusconi earlier arrived in Moscow for a one-day official visit. Berlusconi's meeting with Vladimir Putin is the third one within the past months. This fact confirms mutual interest in maintaining intensive political dialogue. The meeting will focus on the situation in the world after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the USA and the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan, the Italian Embassy in Moscow told RIA Novosti. They will also discuss strategic stability and the future of the ABM Treaty. The sides are also expected to exchange opinions on vital international problems, in particular on the situation in the Middle East, to discuss cooperation between Russia and the EU in the light of the early October Russia-EU summit in Belgium and the establishment of common economic space. They may also discuss Russia-NATO relations and Russian-Italian bilateral ties. Italy is one of the leading Russian partners. Many-sided cooperation between our countries meets their national interests and contributes to the solution of many international problems. Russian and Italian viewpoints on providing security under the new conditions and on countering international terrorism coincide in many aspects. Silvio Berlusconi is to return to Italy in the evening of October 25.