visit of the Italian Ambassador to the Association

The two parties discussed the upcoming Qatari-Italian Business Forum, which is organized by the Qatari Businessmen Association in collaboration with the Italian Embassy of Qatar, along with Confindustria, Italian Businessmen Association, SIMEST, development finance institution promoting the activities of Italian businesses in Italy and abroad, ANCE, Italian Construction Builders Association, on 20 -21 March 2012 in the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, Qatar.

The forum aims to promote trade cooperation between Qatar and Italy, and will help the Italian companies in identifying the available investment opportunities in Qatar. On the Qatari side, the forum will also introduce the Italian companies and products to the Qatari business society, and provide a common platform for businessmen of both countries to interact and network. The conference will be held with the participation of Italian business leaders chaired by HE Mr. Mario Ciaccia, Deputy Minister for Business and Development and acting as Minister of Infrastructure and Transports, and representatives of the real estate sector, infrastructure and construction, and more than 45 Italian companies representative of the real estate sector, infrastructure and construction.

On the other side, Sheikh Faisal Al Thani welcomed the forum, and stressed on the importance of this event in strengthening the economic relations between the two countries, where he expressed the Qatari businessmen interests in the Italian market which offers high quality products, and will allow the Qatari companies to benefit from the experience of their counterparts in the implementation of Qatari development projects in preparation for hosting the 2022 World Cup.

At the end of the meeting, the Italian Ambassador invited Sheikh Faisal to visit Italy, as it is rich with opportunities and possibilities of trade and investment in various commercial and industrial sectors.

It is worth mentioning that the trade relations between Qatar and Italy have witnessed a remarkable growth during the last four years, reaching almost 1.53 billion Euros in 2010. The agricultural sector accounts for 1.9% of the Italian economy, the industrial sector accounts for 25.2%, and the service sector occupies the largest share of the Italian economy by 72.9%. The Qatari imports from Italy entail machines, electrical appliances, mechanical, metallurgy, and transportation. In addition, Qatar will be hosting an exhibition Made in Italy - Qatar held during 10-13 May in Doha, which aims to promote Italian products and services, and to provide Italian companies with new economic trade destinations in Qatar and other GCC countries.