By Country / Russia
Putin Ends Italy Visit After Talks With Pope
March 14, 2007
Putin (left) with Pope Benedict on March 13 (ITAR-TASS)
He travels to the Adriatic city of Bari with Italian Prime Minister Romani Prodi for talks expected to focus on improving already good business ties.
Later, Putin travels to Athens for a Greece-Russia-Bulgaria summit, the highlight of which will be the signing of an agreement to build an oil pipeline between the Black Sea and the Aegean.
Putin and Pope Benedict XVI discussed ways of improving relations between the Roman Catholic and the Russian Orthodox churches during talks at the Vatican on March 13.
The Russian Orthodox Church accuses Roman Catholics of improperly seeking converts in areas that traditionally are Russian Orthodox. The Vatican has rejected the proselytizing accusations.
In a statement, the Vatican said Benedict's first official meeting with Putin had also enabled the two leaders to exchange their views on a variety of issues, The issues included latest developments on the international front, the situation in the Middle East, and the problems posed by extremism and intolerance.
Putin also met Italian President Giorgio Napolitano shortly after his arrival in Rome and then had dinner with Prodi.
(compiled from agency reports)