Italian Prime Minister Wants Russia To Be WTO Member

Silvio Berlusconi says, Russia will join the WTO until the end of the current year

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi promised to do his best to make Russia a WTO member until the end of the current year. Silvio Berlusconi said at a press briefing after the meeting with Vladimir Putin, they had discussed that issue with the Russian president. The Italian prime minister said he was sure that it would happen: "We are doing our utmost to promote Russia's admission before the year's end," he said.

Vladimir Putin positively estimated the results of the meeting with the Italian prime minister: "The development of bilateral relations complies with our national interests," the president said at the press briefing. Putin reminded, he was going to visit Italy in November of this year. The two leaders touched upon the question of Putin's visit as well. President added, the sides talked about international issues too: "We were working in the two directions - the relations between Russia and Italy and the development of relations between Russia and the EU."

"Silvio Berlusconi agreed, one had to take a lot of efforts to implement the agreements that had been achieved in St.Petersburg," the Russian president said. Moscow is certain, the progress in the establishment of the joint economic space, the development of the trading, economic, internal and external security cooperation will be substantially determined  with the success of the constant cooperation between Russia and the European Union. Vladimir Putin set out his gratitude to Silvio Berlusconi for "supporting approaches and efforts to build a large Europe without separating lines."