Days of Moscow Culture in Italy

Days of Moscow Culture, organized by the Moscow Department of External Economic and International Relations, took place in Italy on September 18-25. The main events took place across three Italian cities – Merano, Florence and Bari.

During the visit, the Moscow delegation took part in the 4th Russian-Italian seminar “Russia and Italy: the art of innovation,” which took place in the city of Bolzano. During the sessions, participants talked about trade and economic relations between the two countries, covering the subject of innovative cities with “smart” infrastructure.

Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Italy Sergei Razov noted trade turnover between Russia and Italy grew by 11% in the first half of 2018. Cultural cooperation between the two countries is not lagging behind either. This year, over 200 cultural events have been planned in Italy within the scope of “Russian Seasons.” “The program will be held in over 70 Italian cities, and will include performances by the best opera, ballet, and drama ensembles,” the ambassador said.

Igor Karavayev, Russia’s Trade Representative in Italy, said that Italy is once again in the top 5 biggest foreign trade partners for Russia. “It’s not just the geographic distribution of Russian exports that changed. Russia’s leading trade partners in the European Union changed as well. Germany, of course, is in first place, but Italy isn’t lagging far behind in terms of trade turnover volumes. Our government is offering an unprecedented support program for Italian enterprises operating in Russia,” Mr. Karavayev explained.

Antonio Fallico, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Intesa Bank and President of the “Conoscere Eurasia” Association called on the political community to abandon the sanctions. “The sanctions affect the overall climate, but don’t limit us,” he said.