His Excellency the Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Competitiveness Center, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, and the accompanying delegation concluded a two-day working visit to the Italian capital, Rome, with the aim of enhancing the level of economic partnership between the two friendly countries, in addition to participating in the Saudi-Italian Business Forum, which was attended by 200 leaders from the public and private sectors of both countries.
His Excellency held ministerial meetings attended by His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Sattam bin Abdulaziz, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Italian Republic. The meetings included a review of the promising opportunities created by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the encouragement of Italian companies to expand their operations in promising sectors, particularly those related to tourism and hospitality, architecture and furniture, fashion design, luxury goods, wholesale and retail trade, e-commerce, luxury mobility, and yachts.
Today, Al-Qasabi met with His Excellency Guido Crosetto, Minister of Defense of the Italian Republic, and His Excellency Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and “Made in Italy,” to discuss strengthening trade cooperation and investing in the available opportunities for the business sectors in both countries, as well as encouraging the exchange of experiences and knowledge.
His Excellency also visited the headquarters of FENDI, where he met with senior executives of the company and was briefed on the company’s operating model, as it operates in 35 countries around the world. The visit also included an introductory tour of the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, which houses the company’s headquarters.
On the first day of the visit, His Excellency held meetings with Her Excellency Elisabetta Casellati, Minister for Institutional Reforms and Regulatory Simplification; His Excellency Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister of Enterprises and “Made in Italy”; and His Excellency Marco Osnato, Chairman of the Saudi-Italian Parliamentary Friendship Committee. During the meetings, Al-Qasabi discussed cooperation in enhancing the business environment and simplifying procedures, benefiting from the Italian model for small and medium-sized enterprises, in addition to exploring opportunities to launch joint Saudi-Italian business accelerators and encouraging Italian companies specialized in e-commerce to expand their operations in the Kingdom.
It is worth noting that the delegation included senior officials from several government entities, including the Ministries of Commerce, Investment, and Industry and Mineral Resources; the Saudi Red Sea Authority; the Architecture and Design Commission; the Fashion Commission; the Public Investment Fund; the National Competitiveness Center; the Saudi Business Center; and the E-Commerce Council, in addition to representatives from several national companies.