Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (left) and Pasquale Salzano, Ambassador of Italy to the State of Qatar, during the inauguration of new premises of the Embassy, yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula
Doha: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has stressed his meeting with Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday had been very fruitful in strengthening cooperation and friendship between Italy and Qatar as well as in laying foundation for future agreements.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference after he inaugurated the Italian Embassy at Alfardan Office Tower in West Bay, Conte said it was the second time for him to meet with H H the Amir; the first time was in Rome a few months ago and both meetings had been very productive.
“This has been my second meeting with H H the Amir and it has been very fruitful in strengthening cooperation and friendship between our two countries. We talked about political issues because we would like to see stability and peace in the Middle East and North Africa. At the same time we talked about the presence of the Italian companies here in Qatar and the contribution they give to the infrastructure of this country,” he said.
The Prime Minister also talked about his visit to the Red Line North of the new metro and to the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor which will host FIFA World Cup 2022 — two projects in which Italian companies are actively involved.
“Today, I had the opportunity to visit one of the underground stations of the Red Line and also one of the stadiums that is almost entirely built by an Italian company which are an example of the important contributions of Italian companies in the infrastructure of this country. They provide know-how and expertise and I believe these companies can do much more for this country, that’s why today’s visit has been an opportunity to strengthen cooperation and to strengthen economic and trade exchange,” he said.
The Premier also said he was pleased to learn of H H the Amir’s interest to invest in material and immaterial infrastructure in Italy.
He said the meeting also touched on energy and on world-leading Italian companies such as Eni, Snam, Leonardo and Fincantieri, which already operate in Qatar, and that he believed the visit would contribute not only on strengthening cooperation but also the presence of Italian companies.
He said no agreements were signed during the meeting yesterday, but expressed optimism the meeting had “laid foundation for future agreements to come.”
