Italy to be partner state at SPIEF 2016
Italy will be the partner state at this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the Italian Embassy in Russia has informed TASS.
Cesare Maria Ragaglini, the Italian Ambassador to Russia, said: “Italy will partner this year’s Forum, allowing the country to be represented to the fullest extent possible and serving as yet further proof of the excellent relations between Russia and Italy.”
Mr. Ragaglini was in St. Petersburg to prepare for the visit by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to the city. “This will be the first time that an Italian Prime Minister has participated in the Forum”, stressed the Ambassador.
Leonardo Bencini, Italy’s Consul General in St. Petersburg, told TASS that a large Italian delegation is expected to attend the Forum. “The exact number of participants is still being finalized, but we can safely say that all major Italian companies with a presence on the Russian market will be represented at SPIEF 2016”, he said.
Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee, told TASS that “guest state status entails a whole range of events.” These will include conferences and seminars in Italy, including the annual Eurasian Forum in Verona, as well as hosting an Italian House at SPIEF 2016.
According to Mr. Kobyakov, the idea of establishing an Italian House at SPIEF came from Antonio Fallico, President of the Conoscere Eurasia Association and a European partner of the Forum. “This is not the first time we have awarded guest state status to a country at SPIEF, and this year we have selected Italy”, Mr. Kobyakov said.
According to the Italian Embassy in Russia, Italy is Russia’s second largest trading partner in Europe after Germany, and fourth largest worldwide. Italian exports to Russia reached record figures in 2013, totalling EUR 10.8 billion. In 2014, sales of Italian goods and services to Russia fell by 15% in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, and 2015 showed no improvement.
Around 400 Italian companies operate in Russia. Ambassador Ragaglini named tourism as one of the most important sectors in Italy’s cooperation with Russia. In 2014, more than 1.2 million Russian tourists visited Italy, though 2015 saw a decline of 28%. Italy is determined to overcome the negative trends and restore growth this year, and will work with Russian tour operators to achieve this.
Source: tass.ru (Russian)
