Speaking at a press conference following talks with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, President Vladimir Putin stressed that the Russian Federation sees Italy as a reliable partner. This applies not only to energy supplies from Russia, but also to the fact that a number of Italian companies plan to invest billions of dollars in the Russian energy sector, Mr Putin said.
Mutual trust and interest are the distinguishing features of cooperation between the two countries and are what make it possible to develop effective bilateral relations, the President said.