Russia expects Italian support in non-visa regime treaty

Russia expects support from Italy in the sphere of settling the remaining problems with the EU, including a non-visa regime and signing a new basic treaty, President Vladimir Putin stated at a press conference after negotiations with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, RIA Novosti reports.

Putin noted that the problem of relations between Russia and the EU was touched during the talks. “We expect that Italy as our reliable and traditional partner will support us in settlement the problems which still are unsolved in relations with the EU,” Putin said.

At the same time, Russia doesn’t plan to take any unilateral steps which might worsen the situation with the euro. “We keep 40% of our gold and forex reserves in euros. We aren’t decreasing this level structurally. We aren’t changing anything, because we believe in the fundamental opportunities of the European economy and will support the efforts of our European partners in stabilizing the situation,” Putin stated.