RUSSIA: ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER D'ALEMA MEETS PRIMAKOV скачать в хорошем качестве

RUSSIA: ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER D'ALEMA MEETS PRIMAKOV

(9 Feb 1999) Russian/Nat Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov says Russia wants to strengthen ties with the European Union through relations with Italy. His comments came after two-hour long talks with an Italian delegation headed by Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema in Moscow on Tuesday. D'Alema is in Moscow for talks on economic cooperation and shoring up democracy in Russia. Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov met his Italian counterpart Massimo D'Alema on Tuesday for a round of talks that ranged from bilateral trade to the conflict in Kosovo. D'Alema is in Moscow on a two-day visit which includes meetings with Russia's top politicians. Primakov and D'Alema met at Moscow's White House. The Italian leader is the first former communist to lead Italy, and he last visited Russia in 1978 as the head of a delegation of Italian communist youth. Italy is Russia's sixth largest export partner with an annual trade turnover of U-S 8.5 (b) billion dollars. But trade has slumped after Russia's economic crisis hit last August. The devaluation of the rouble has caused a significant drop in Russia's imports and has sent many foreign investors fleeing. D'Alema hopes to boost trade ties between the two countries during his visit. During a joint news conference after the talks, Primakov commented on the ongoing process of political compromise in Russia, saying an agreement would soon be reached with parliamentarians. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "The process of political compromise is underway. All wings of power are working on it and the documents have been put forward. Tomorrow I will meet leaders of the parliamentary factions. I think that we will have a document that represents all branches of power and will eventually be passed on to the President." SUPER CAPTION: Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Prime Minister Despite his communist background, D'Alema has stressed the need for Russia to continue to follow democratic ideals and consolidate democratic institutions. He said the international community should help Russia with her debt problem. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) "As far as the international community is concerned, it is its duty to support Russia's reform efforts. The international community must also carefully deal with the question of debts. Italy has already started working on this question and will continue to work with Russia on it." SUPER CAPTION: Massimo D'Alema, Italian Prime Minister D'Alema is also planning to meet former premier and free-market economist Yegor Gaidar, likely presidential candidates Alexander Lebed and Grigory Yavlinsky, and parliament speaker Gennady Seleznyov. No plans for a meeting with Russian Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov have been mentioned. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...