Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Marina Sereni, in her speech at the Third Forum of Italian-Palestinian Businessmen in Ramallah, affirmed Italy´s strong commitment to support and strengthen Palestinian institutions, also through the economic perspective, in line with the Italian position supportive For a two-state solution, Jerusalem will be a shared capital.
Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Marina Sereni, Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Mohammed Shtayyeh and Minister of National Economy Khaled Assili participated in the opening session of the Third Italian-Palestinian Business Forum, a mechanism for regular consultations between the Federation of Young Italian Businessmen and the Federation of Palestinian Businessmen Associations. It was established in February 2017 in Ramallah on the initiative of the Italian Consulate in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy.
The forum is co-chaired by Mr. Alessio Rossi, President of the Italian Businessmen Federation, and Mr. Hashim Shawa, Chairman of Bank of Palestine Group, in cooperation with the Italian Trade Mission - Oman Office. More than 150 bilateral meetings were held during this third joint forum of 50 companies. Italian and their Palestinian counterparts. These relationships will support trade growth which, according to recent data, reached $ 111.4 million in 2018, an increase of 3% over the previous year.
On the sidelines of the forum, a memorandum was signed by the President of the Italian Businessmen Association for the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa, Giovanni Otate, and the President of the Federation of Palestinian Businessmen Associations, Osama Amr. This will be another tool for cooperation between Palestinian and Italian businessmen.
The presence of Italian companies in Palestine is concentrated in high-tech sectors, such as the design and construction of desalination plants in Gaza and the restoration of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Italian exports are mainly in the automotive, machinery and food products sector.
