Vladimir Putin met with Pope Francis and the Hole See’s Secretary of State Pietro Parolin during a brief visit to the Vatican.
In Rome, Mr Putin had talks with President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano and also met with former Italian Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy for the Sahel Romano Prodi.
In Trieste, Mr Putin and Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta chaired expanded Russian-Italian interstate consultations and witnessed the signing of a package of cooperation agreements following the consultations. The two leaders also made press statements and answered journalists’ questions.
The President also addressed the closing session of a business forum held as part of the Russian-Italian civil society dialogue forum.