On 13 March Vladimir Putin will hold talks with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Romano Prodi in Rome. On that same day the President of Russia will meet Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican.
Vladimir Putin and Romano Prodi will host the fourth Russian-Italian intergovernmental consultations in an expanded format on 14 March in Bari.
During the President of Russia’s visit to Athens on 14–15 March, a Russian-Bulgarian-Greek summit will take place. This summit will coincide with the signing of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria, and the Government of the Hellenic Republic on Cooperation in the Construction and Operation of the Burgas – Alexandroupolis Oil Pipeline.