Harbin, Jan. 16.
In an interview given to the Petrograd correspondent of the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera," M. Sassanoff, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, declared that all Russians entertained feelings of the liveliest friendship towards Italy. The two countries had no conflicting interests, and their friendship was stronger now when the interests of Russia and Italy were the same.
He continued " We are awaiting manifestations of a more active and more decisive policy on the part of Regarding the occupation to which Russia had no! objection, we think the reason for the occupation which Italy gave—that it was carried out in order to improve sanitary conditions—was' merely a pretext, and as such we look upon it. We consider that the occupation of Valona was a politic: al step Italy decided to take quite frankly and prepared to meet the consequences of her action. To us, the Albanian State does not exist; it perished before it came to real life. Consequently we fail to understand why Italy maintains beside her own flag that of Albania, which is the symbol of political anarch; M, Sassanoff eulogized the military conduct of the Servians and Belgians and expressed a desire to see Balkan niisunderstandings quickly settled. He said " Austria and Germany have always created disturbances in the Balkans, but we! think the commonsense of the people will now induce them to make settlement as @ policy based on individual interests cannot be attended with good results. Rumania has the same interests as Italy and the same foe, whom she must fight."
'M. Sassanoff declared that he was averse to a hegemony in the Bal: kans. Regarding Dalmatia, he said that Italy, having Otranto, Venice and Valona, would certainly master of the Adriatic and also would be in a position to give other countries, such as Servia and Montenegro the right to live. There was no cause for conflict between them and they might be given a right of way to the sea. The part Turkey had taken in the war had accelerated a problem which had existed for several centuries.
'M. Sassanoff expressed pleasure at the meeting of the Kings of and Denmark as entertained the friendliest relations with the Bcandinavian countries. Finally he emphasized the community of interests existing between Russia and Bweden.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.