Israel and Italy to form closer commercial ties

The Israeli Embassy in Italy will host a joint Italian-Israeli business conference in Milan.

The Israeli Embassy in Rome plans to paint Milan in blue and white. For the first time, it will host a joint Italian-Israeli business conference next month with the goal of tightening commercial ties. 100 Israeli companies in the agriculture, water, medical devices, homeland security and other fields are scheduled to attend the two-day conference.

Israel's Ambassador to Italy Gidoen Meir told "Globes" that at least 15 new commercial contracts are due to be signed during the conference, which will ensure closer commercial ties between Israel and Italy.

One key agreement that the embassy is trying to promote will permit the reciprocal conversion of drivers' licenses of the two countries, which will allow greater use of licenses issued in Israel in Italy, and vice versa.

Joint research agreements will be signed in agriculture, science, medical devices, the handling of welfare issues, such as unemployment among the young, and other areas.

Israel's economic attaché in Italy Tami Ziv says that demand for innovative and advanced technologies for water desalination, transport, and quality monitoring have been growing in recent years. She told "Globes", "Israel is considered a global leader in this field, which is why exposing companies engaged in the field to the Italian market is critical."

In February 2010, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and several ministers visited Israel. During the visit, Berlusconi asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to tighten economic relations with Italy, and invited him to make a reciprocal visit. Berlusconi also tried to persuade Netanyahu to buy a large number of Italy's jet trainers for training Israel Air Force cadets.

Netanyahu is due to visit Rome next month, but it is not clear if he will attend the conference in Milan.

Meir, who initiated the business conference, said that it was just one of a series of events centered on Israel that would be held in Milan next month. Other events include a huge presentation in a city piazza of activities in which Israel is considered a world leader, aimed at improving Israel's image. "If the image is positive, business activity will increase," he told "Globes". "The objective of the activities are to brand Israel in Italian eyes and boost bilateral commercial and tourism ties."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 16, 2011

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2011

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