TEHRAN: A 150-member Italian trade delegation is scheduled to visit Iran from November 28 to 30 to explore ways for expansion of bilateral ties between Iran and Italy, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
The issue of Italian delegation’s trip to Iran was announced in a meeting of Valiollah Afkhamirad, the director of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI), with the person in charge of the international affairs of the General Confederation of Italian Industry (Confederazione generale dell’industria italiana–known as Confindustria) and the president of the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, known as Istituto per il Commercio con l’Estero (ICE).
Andrea Barbaria, the first secretary in the Economic-Commercial Sector of the Italian Embassy in Iran, was also present in the meeting, which was held in Tehran to make the necessary planning and lay the ground for the fruitful presence of the Italian delegation in Iran.
The members of delegation are active in different fields including industry, mining, oil, gas and environment sectors as well as manufacturing of vehicles, different machineries and medical equipments.
Italian deputy economy minister will also accompany the delegation.
Addressing the meeting, Afkhamirad referred to the trips of economic delegations from different countries to Iran after Tehran’s nuclear deal with the world’s major powers and said there are many investment opportunities in the oil, gas, petrochemical, transportation, industry, mining and other sectors of the country.
He said: “We are willing that besides making investment, the Italian companies transfer technology to Iran, in a way that through joint production with Italy, Iran can produce goods for exports.”
He expressed hope that some cooperation contracts will be signed between Iran and Italy during the stay of Italian delegation in Iran.
Italy was the leading European trading partner of Iran before sanctions were imposed on the Islamic Republic. Iran-Italy annual trade stood at $7 billion prior to the sanctions, while it has dropped to around $1 billion now, according to Iran-Italy Joint Chamber of Commerce’s Chairman Ahmad Pourfallah.
Italy also took the lead among Iran’s European trading partners in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20.
Italian Economic Development Minister Federica Guidi, heading a delegation of 300 traders and businessmen, traveled to Iran on August 4 to explore new investment opportunities in Iran after removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
