The meeting was attended by the acting Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg Sergey Markov and the Representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in St. Petersburg Vladimir Zapevalov.
On behalf of the current head of the city Alexander Beglov and the Government of St. Petersburg, the Vice-Governor Alexander Govorunov congratulated Alessandro Monti on accession to the office.
During the conversation, the parties discussed the state and prospects of cooperation between St. Petersburg and Italy. It was noted that Italy is among the top ten trading partners of St. Petersburg, but this year the trade turnover has decreased by 14% compared to the same period in 2017. The parties agreed that it does not correspond to the existing potential, and agreed to make joint efforts to overcome the current trend.
They also discussed promising areas of cooperation, in particular, the automotive industry, light industry and fashion industry, pharmaceuticals, education, and tourism. The cooperation in the sphere of culture was especially noted: St. Petersburg cultural institutions took an active part in the program " Russian seasons " in Italy, Italy acted as a guest country in the framework of the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum in 2018. Alexander Govorunov also mentioned that St. Petersburg is ready for scientific and technical cooperation and the creation of joint ventures.
Special attention was paid to the development of cooperation between St. Petersburg and the Italian partner cities of Turin and Milan. As it was noted, the Information and business center of St. Petersburg in Milan, opened in September 2018, will act as an additional tool for the expansion of business ties.
In addition, negotiations are underway to establish partnerships between the administration of the Central district of St. Petersburg and the mayor's office of Sorento, as well as between the administration of the Admiralty district of St. Petersburg and the mayor's office of Bergamo.
The Consul General of the Italian Republic noted the importance of bilateral relations between St. Petersburg and Italy and confirmed the intention to expand cooperation. Alexander Govorunov stressed that the government of St. Petersburg is set to continue to provide all possible support in the implementation of promising projects of Italian partners in our city.
In conclusion, Alexander Govorunov invited Alessandro Monti to participate in commemorative events on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the complete lifting the siedge of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade on January 27, 2019.
Reference: Alessandro Monti was assigned to the Consul General of the Italian Republic in Saint-Petersburg on September 11, 2018 (the date of issuance of the exequatur).