'Qatar, Italy Committed To Bilateral Direct Investments'

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA

Doha: Qatar and Italy have expressed commitment to favouring direct investments in both countries focusing on strategic sectors, such as energy, defence, communication technology, digitalization, Agriculture and food supply, transport and infrastructures, real estate, tourism, education and healthcare.

“To this end, we commit to prioritize opportunities for favourable investments in both markets,” said a joint statement between the State of Qatar and the Italian Republic issued marking the state visit of Amir H H sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the Italian Republic.

“We acknowledge our commitment to deepening and broadening our bilateral economic and financial ties. We stress our commitment to deepening our strategic partnership on defense issues, both at military and industrial level,” the statement added.

Below is the text of the statement:

On the occasion of the State Visit to Italy of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, HH the Amir met H E Prime Minister of the friendly Italian Republic, Giorgia Meloni, in Rome to further strengthen the excellent cooperation between the two Nations, taking into consideration the common objectives and the shared interests, and looking forward to establishing a truly strategic partnership.

We took stock of the excellent existing cooperation on regional and global issues. We will continue to work together to bring peace and stability to the Middle East in line with UNSC resolutions, in particular UNSC Resolutions 2735 and 1701, and we reconfirm our support for a two-state solution with an independent State of Palestine living side by side with Israel in peace and security.

We will continue to cooperate for the stability of Libya, supporting the UN-led political process, and for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Italy is grateful to Qatar for hosting the Embassy of Italy to Afghanistan and will continue to contribute to the Doha Process on Afghanistan.

In this framework, we reaffirm the importance of our bilateral Strategic Dialogue and look forward to holding its next session in Doha.

We recall the European Union (EU) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit that took place in Brussels on 16 October 2024 during Qatar's Presidency of the GCC and the Joint Declaration adopted on that occasion.

We commit to fostering stronger and closer relations between the EU and the GCC and to encouraging more structured cooperation also at the region-to-region level.

We recognize that migration is a global issue requiring a collective commitment and enhanced cooperation to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities that it presents.

Within the context of the Rome Process, we agreed to jointly promote migration partnerships with countries of origin and transit, including through innovative solutions. We acknowledge the need for stronger international cooperation to curb transnational organized crime and prevent and counter human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants, remove the root causes of migration, and strengthen and diversify regular channels.

We recognize the importance of promoting equitable and strategic partnerships with African countries, contributing to the sustainable development of the African Continent. We propose to enhance our cooperation, in the framework of the Mattei Plan, in selected fields such as sustainable agriculture, in order to create mutually beneficial projects in partnership with the African countries.

We believe that to advance quickly on strategic projects in the African continent we must join our financial resources through the new instruments created in the framework of the Mattei Plan, such as the Growth and Resilience Platform for Africa (“GRAf”). We agree on the goal of pursuing an economic growth that can equally act as a prevention factor of migration, to contribute to fighting human trafficking and irregular migration. Therefore, we pledge to strengthen and relaunch our actions in the African Continent, encouraging positive spillovers in the partner countries.

We welcome existing cooperation between Qatar and the African Union on the reintegration of vulnerable migrants in their countries of origin.

We acknowledge that the consolidation of peace and economic growth in African countries is the only effective driver to tackle the root causes of instability in the Continent on the long term, and to generate new job opportunities. We will hence continue working together to identify initiatives to be implemented jointly in these fields, following a new approach, focusing on a fair, equal and mutually beneficial relationship with African countries.

We express our commitment to favouring direct investments in both countries focusing on strategic sectors, such as energy, defence, communication technology, digitalization, agriculture and food supply, transport and infrastructures, real estate, tourism, education and healthcare. To this end, we commit to prioritize opportunities for favourable investments in both markets.

We acknowledge our commitment to deepening and broadening our bilateral economic and financial ties. We encourage business exchange between enterprises and relevant economical actors, to facilitate the exchange of best economic practices. We stress our commitment to deepening our strategic partnership on defense issues, both at military and industrial level. In particular, building on the frequent exchanges of visits and joint training programs and activities, we express our will to explore new ways of collaboration, continuing the discussion of the establishment of an Italian logistic military hub in Qatar and fostering export coordination in the region. Building on the successful cooperation model during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, we agreed to continue our joint cooperation in the field of management of major events, with particular reference to the aspect of security and training of Police Forces, also in view of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. We will work on establishing closer judicial cooperation, including by concluding relevant agreements.

We recall the humanitarian initiative in December 2023 in Al Arish harbour in Egypt. Italian and Qatari medical personnel worked side by side aboard Italian Navy Ship Vulcano to provide assistance to Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

We will further increase our cooperation in relation to energy security and energy transition, including in the broader framework of Qatar's Gas Field projects. Our cooperation will focus on, but will not be limited to, industrial cooperation, research and development, diversification of the sources and ecologic transition, cooperation on water management and waste to energy, engaging in a constant dialogue with the most relevant public and private actors in the two countries. We will increase our cooperation in the construction, transport, tourism and smart cities fields, exploring additional opportunities for Italian firms to participate in the development of Qatar's state of the art infrastructure.

We agree on the need of increased international cooperation in the field of food security in order to secure a stable and safe food chain supply and to contribute to a basic level of nutrition especially to the population in need, and we committed to join our efforts in this domain. We will contribute in particular to fruitful industrial partnerships, research and innovation, development cooperation activities and institutional collaborations.

We will build on the many existing bilateral collaborations in the field of medicine and biotechnology in order to further structure our cooperation in these sectors.

We are aware of the central role of scientific research and higher education in promoting sustainable development and social and economic transformation. Accordingly, we agree on the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation in these areas and discussing the possibility of negotiating agreements/treaties between the relevant ministries in order to launch joint projects and initiatives related to scientific research and higher education. We will enhance cooperation in the field of arts, education, culture and heritage deepening and expanding partnerships between our cultural and education institutions and by supporting investments in the creative industries in both countries. We will increase ties between our education, academic and research organizations and promote cooperation on sports and youth engagements. We will facilitate tourism between both countries through coordinated promotion and attraction initiatives.

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