Italy is planning to establish in Qatar manufacturing facilities in the fields of agriculture and the food industry, ambassador Pasquale Salzano has said.
Aside from political and economic relations, Salzano said Qatar and Italy could also further co-operation ties in the food manufacturing sector.
“I think we can develop also other relations in the food industry,” he suggested on the sidelines of the recently concluded Expo Turkey by Qatar 2018.
“So, we want to bring technology and best practices in the field of agriculture and the food industry in Qatar and vice-versa, and to export Qatari products to Italy,” he continued.
While the plan to set up the manufacturing facilities is still in the “negotiation stage,” Salzano said a high-level delegation from Qatar’s industrial sector will travel to Italy by the end of the year to explore investment opportunities there.
The visit also aims to entice Italian companies to set up shop in Qatar and for Qatari companies to establish themselves in Italy, the ambassador explained.
“And we will also have a high-level commission under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and under the patronage of the HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, and in co-operation with Qatar Chamber to organise bilateral exchanges. This will be held in the second half of this year,” Salzano said.
Aside from tourism, Salzano said Italy is a global destination for high-technology and industrial machinery – a sector that is gaining much traction among many Qatari businessmen.
“Italy is a diversified country, known for the beauty of its landscape or for artistic culture. Italy is the first country in the world for artistic world heritage listed in Unesco, so it is a very important cultural destination.
“But Italy is also the second largest economy in Europe as far as industrial machinery is concerned, so there are many people going to Italy for industrial machinery or for high-technology or for many different business activities.”
Apart from the industrial sector, Italy’s defence sector “is one of the most sophisticated sectors in the world in terms of high-technology applied to defence.”
“We now have a very good relationship with shipbuilders, and Italy is also well known for its helicopters, military aircraft, and aeroplanes,” Salzano pointed out.