(19 February 2016) Isiamed – Italian Institute for Asia and the Mediterranean – has organized a workshop to reaffirm confidence in the Italian-Egyptian cooperation and promote new economic-entrepreneurial partnership between Rome and Cairo. Held yesterday in Rome, the event saw the participation of Claudio Pacifico, former Italian Ambassador to Egypt, Federica Pocek, SACE Director for Egypt – desk MENA, Vincenzo Valenti, Isiamed Director for International Cooperation, and Maurizio Barnaba, Deputy Chairman of the Italy-Egypt Association (Isiamed). The debate was introduced by Gian Guido Folloni, President of Isiamed, and Ugo Intini, Vice President of Isiamed. “Italy’s attention towards Egypt is proportionate to the political and economic weight of this country in the Mediterranean”, explained the former, while the latter expressed the hope that relations between Italy and Egypt, consolidated by a long history of partnership, soon surpass the difficult phase in which they currently are. “Egypt is a great country – stressed Pacifico- Pivot of the North African and Middle East region in both historical and cultural terms. Relations between Rome and Cairo, serious and harmonious, reflect a history of interaction between nations and peoples rather than governments. The organic cooperation initiated in recent years in all sectors of society has been a great tool to promote the Italian system: no short-term projects but rather ones that looked to the long run and proved successful. Alongside the undeniable problems that the country is going through, the economic opportunities remain that existed before the parenthesis of the revolution are still there. It’s in the interests of the West and Italy to support the Egyptian government politically, militarily and economically against terrorism, and for the overall stability of the Mediterranean”. Valenti’s contribution stressed that “Egypt is now committed to developing new Free Zones, a million apartments, 500,000 structures including schools and hospitals, area for productive investments for the development of manufacturing, agri-food and fisheries. Egypt also wants to develop 3000 km of roads, high-speed rails, and centers for professional and managerial training. In this context – continued the Isiamed Director for International Cooperation – there are hundreds of Italian companies operating in the country, and trade is worth €5 billion, divided into various sectors: infrastructure, oil & gas, energy, textiles and clothing manufacturing, furniture, machine-building, as well as the traditional cooperation in the tourism sector, with tour operators and transport companies. Isiamed and the Italy-Egypt Association – concluded Valenti – have always been very active in the Arab country, by organizing missions, workshops, B2B meetings, which have seen, in the last 8-10 years, the active involvement of more than 300 Italian companies and professionals from several sectors, favoring agreements, partnerships and the creation of joint enterprises. Among the companies promoted by Isiamed in the land of the pharaohs, there are the Port Authority of Civitavecchia, the CAR, Virgin Italy, and Tentellini Impianti.” (red)
