Jan. 29 – From Viale dell’Astronomia in Rome to Abu Nu’as Street in Baghdad, in the sign of cooperation: Iraqi companies choose Confindustria as a reference model to renew their business association. Italian entrepreneurs participate, in collaboration with the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and UNIDO, in a project to develop the Iraqi Federation of Industries, founded in 1956, by providing their expertise. The initiative, funded by the Italian Cooperation, lasts one year and provides support and expert advice to assist in the Irqi internal restructuring process and the definition of an institutional strategy. Yesterday ended the first session with a meeting between Licia Mattioli, President of the Technical Committee for Internationalization and Foreign Investors of Confindustria, and the president of IFI, Sabeeh Ali Al Saadi. “This project is a challenge for us, but it’s also a great opportunity to learn about the nascent Iraqi business system – commented Mattioli – The development of a strong industry association is key to stable economic growth and to address new challenges.” “In many ways this visit was a revelation and will hopefully lead to a long term relationship with Confindustria, with consequent benefits for the private sector in both countries – said Ali Al Saadi Sabeeh – I hope that Italian companies will learn more about the Iraqi market and the exciting opportunities that are opening up in many areas. We want to reassure that we are experiencing a time of great openness and of change in mentality. Precisely for this reason we ask the cooperation of Italian institutions to simplify bureaucratic procedures as much as possible, so as to avoid uselessly slowing down economic relations between our countries.” (Roc)
