Mr Putin and Mr Berlusconi discussed the concrete issues of Russian-Italian cooperation and expressed their mutual satisfaction with the vigorous character of political dialogue at all levels, and productive cooperation in trade and the economy, particularly in the energy sector.
Mr Putin and Mr Berlusconi noted that the compact schedule of top and government level meetings for 2003 would not only help to maintain the process of bilateral contacts but would also give them additional impetus.
Exchanging opinions on Iraq, they focused on settling humanitarian problems. The Presidents stressed they shared approaches and opinions on this and other ways of settling the crisis, which provided an opportunity for constructive cooperation.