On the “Foreign Markets Info” page of the government chaired by Mario Draghi Italian companies are still advised to do business in Russia. This is what Franco Bechis found: “There is great praise for the Russian economy – he writes in truth and business – and its complementarity with the Italian one and even an excursus on the historical and cultural reasons why Italy should do business with Russia”.
Certainly the page was put online before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, but after almost two months of armed conflict it is still there. “Russia is the main supplier of energy products in the world – he says – but it has an industrial base and a primary sector that is still relatively underdeveloped; Italy, on the other hand, does not have raw materials, but has a large and diversified manufacturing and agri-food sector. It is a complementarity between the two production systems that makes the two countries natural economic and trade partners. The complementarity is reflected not only in the trade balance, but also in the numerous joint ventures that favor technology transfer”.
Then they continue to sing Russia’s praises to Vladimir Putin, as if it had not invaded Ukraine on February 24: “The modernization of the economic system is a priority for the authorities of the Federation. These are not only key sectors with a high technological content, but also infrastructure, whose adaptation is essential for the country’s development. Therefore, there are opportunities for collaboration for Italian companies in various sectors.”