Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to pay a visit to Italy in the near future.

"I will begin our meeting with a suggestion. My wishes are as follows: I would very much like you to visit Italy in the near future," the prime minister said opening the talks with Putin in the Kremlin. "You haven’t visited us for a long time. I would not like the Italian people to get the impression that you do not pay proper attention to it," he added smiling.

Conte noted that Russia and Italy had been able to maintain the quality and volume of relations, which is a confirmation of the fact that the ties between the two countries are strong. "One of the objectives of my visit is to once again study and see how we could develop the potential of our ties and relations," he noted.

Earlier in the day, Conte had a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

The Russian president and the Italian prime minister will also hold a meeting attended by delegation members on Wednesday and meet with the CEOs of the leading Italian enterprises. Some bilateral documents are expected to be signed as well.