Rustam Minnikhanov meets President of Lombardy Region (Italy) Roberto Maroni

On December 12,  at the Palazzo Lombardia government building, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, who is on a working visit in Milan, had a meeting with President of Lombardy Region Roberto Maroni.

Minnikhanov thanked Maroni for the invitation and warm reception, as well as for the interest shown to Tatarstan as one of the dynamic regions of Russia.

"Tatarstan attaches great importance to the development of cooperation with Lombardy as part of Russian-Italian relations," he said. "Today we have a good opportunity to discuss the state and prospects for the development of cooperation between our regions.”

According to Minnikhanov, there is a great potential for the development of trade and economic cooperation between Tatarstan and Lombardy.

The meeting also discussed the possibilities to establish contacts in the sphere of culture, science, education, and tourism.

Minnikhanov reminded that Kazan will host matches of the FIFA World Cup 2018 next summer and expressed his hope that Italian athletes and fans will attend these events.

Tatarstan President also proposed to set up a working group following the results of the visit to further strengthen business contacts.

Moreover, Minnikhanov and Maroni have agreed that Tatarstan and Lombardy will work towards signing an agreement on cooperation between the regions as part of Russian-Italian relations.

Tatarstan President invited Roberto Maroni to visit the republic at the head of the delegation of business circles of Lombardy. In his turn, Maroni accepted the invitation and expressed his hope that the visit will give a new impetus to the cooperation between Tatarstan and Lombardy.