Italian PM Renzi defies critics as recession returns

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi smiles after he delivered his speech at the Italian Parliament in Rome June 24, 2014. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi insisted on Thursday that Italy's economic strategy was sound and would lift the country out of crisis, after the euro zone's third-biggest economy unexpectedly fell back into recession in the second quarter.

In a lengthy interview broadcast on La7 television, Renzi said that his government, which took office in February, was determined to get the economy back on track in due course.