RIYADH, 27 November 2004 — Italian Minister of Agricultural Policies Giovanni Alemanno arrives in the Kingdom today for a two-day visit to strengthen Saudi-Italian relations in the agri-industrial sector. The minister, who will head a large delegation, will be here by invitation from his counterpart Dr. Fahd A. Balghunaim.
According to ministry sources, the visiting delegation consists of senior officials and businessmen. The delegation’s goal is to enhance cooperation between the Kingdom and Italy in the implementation of investment projects.
The delegation, which is slated to hold detailed talks with Balghunaim, also will visit agricultural projects in the capital to get firsthand information on the Kingdom’s resources. The groundwork for Alemanno’s visit was laid in September when Italy’s vice minister of agriculture and member of parliament, Dr. Paolo Scarpa Bonazza Buora, and a delegation of government officials and businessmen came to discuss investment opportunities in the Kingdom. During the visit, the parties agreed to facilitate more business exchanges that would lead to greater investment opportunities.
According to Italian Ambassador Dr. Armando Sanguini, Italy was keen to strengthen its bilateral program with Saudi Arabia, particularly in water and irrigation, fishing and aquaculture systems, collaboration on safety issues related to mechanization and pursuing common interests in the agri-industrial product sector.
The Kingdom and Italy have forged closer relations in trade and investment. Two-way trade exceeded 3.8 billion euros in 2003. During this period, Italian exports reached 1.6 billion euros.
