MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Alfano is currently visiting Moscow at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"Russia always has been and remains a committed partner of Italy. Our countries share a common history, our relationship went through trials, nevertheless, we were able to maintain excellent relations. If we recall, our first agreements in the energy sphere were signed in difficult times, and even then, Russia was considered to be a reliable partner, as Italy — a reliable partner of Russia," Alfano said at the talks with Lavrov.
The cooperation between the two states, including in the energy sphere, continued even after the deterioration of relations between Moscow and the European Union following the Ukrainian crisis. Russia's energy giant Gazprom and Italy's Eni company, for instance, kept their cooperation on European gas market. Earlier in March, Gazprom signed a memorandum of understanding with Eni on the development of Russian gas supplies to European states along a southern delivery corridor.
