Italy FM to attend 11th session of RF-Italy coop`n council.

ROME, July 6 (Itar-Tass) - Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini
arrives in Moscow on Tuesday to attend the 11th session of the
Russo-Italian Council on Economic, Industrial, Currency and Financial
Cooperation.
Frattini is to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to
discuss the main themes of international politics, along with economic and
financial matters, Mauricio Massari, press secretary of the Italian
Minister, has told Itar-Tass.
"The Economic Council (session) is an opportunity to discuss matters
concerning bilateral cooperation in the economy, the development of
technologies, and energy," Massari said, recalling that Italy, which is
rated Russia's third partner by the scope of trade, "enjoys very important
privileges in the field of investments and banking".
Massari emphasized that "striving to expedite and strengthen the
activities of small and medium-sized businesses is characteristic of the
Council". "The sides will discuss technological mechanisms for support to
small and medium businesses which constitute a forte of the Italian
economy," he said.
"The sides will also discuss obstacles that stand in the way of the
development of bilateral economic exchanges. Considering good relations
between our two countries, all those obstacles can be removed," Massari
maintains.
The Italian Foreign Minister's press secretary specified that, apart
from a meeting with Russian Vice-Premier and Finance Minister Alexei
Kudrin, Frattini would have a working dinner with Sergei Lavrov. "The
agenda will include the main themes of international politics: the
situation in Afghanistan in the light of the forthcoming international
conference in Kabul, the state of affairs in the Gaza Strip, as well as
European security matters," Massari said.
Massari pointed out once again the stand of Rome, which is convinced
that "Russia must be part of European security architecture".