(By Stefania Fumo).
Premier Matteo Renzi arrived in
the Iranian capital on Tuesday for the first day of a two-day
visit to promote business ties between the two countries. He
came with a delegation of 147 business executives from 55
Italian firms.
He met earlier in the day with Iranian President Hassan
Rohani and then with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - an unusual
recognition for a Western leader.
Rohani said he hoped Italy would return to being the
country's leading trade partner in Europe now that
nuclear-related sanctions have been lifted.
"We have signed 36 memoranda of understanding and we want
them to become operative," Rouhani said.
Renzi's follows on Rouhani's historic visit to Italy in
January following the lifting of sanctions related to last
year's historic nuclear deal. That visit resulted in the signing
of major contracts and bilateral agreements in the minerals,
energy and infrastructure sectors as well as a joint commitment
to fighting the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group.
Italy is at the head of the line of countries now
clamouring to do business with Iran, which reportedly aims to
attract between $30 and 50 billion in foreign investment a year,
while Italian exports to Iran could reportedly increase by
nearly three billion euros over the next four years.
In addition to oil and gas, Italian companies are also
looking to branch out into the transport sector. Adequate
housing will also be needed to accommodate a marked growth in
population - there are currently 77 million Iranians but the
number is expected to rise to 100 million by 2050 - with
significant room for development forecast in the construction
materials and machinery sectors. Meanwhile the government has
recently approved a bill ratifying a double-taxation agreement
and anti-evasion measures between Italy and Iran.
Among the agreements signed Tuesday were deals to exchange
university researchers and doctoral students over the next three
years, for joint research on experimental physics, and for the
sharing of new technology applications in cultural restorations.
As well, State-controlled rail company Ferrovie dello Stato
(FS) on signed a deal with Tehran to build two high-speed rail
lines from Tehran to Hamedan and Qom worth some three billion
euros.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
