Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary participates in “Invest in Italy” webinar

Manama, Nov. 3 (BNA): The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al Khalifa, participated today in the “Invest in Italy” web conference, alongside the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy, Manilo Di Stefano, and a number of high-level personalities and senior officials. The webinar was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic. The Undersecretary expressed her pleasure at participating in this conference and her thanks and appreciation to all the organisers, stressing that the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Italian Republic enjoy longstanding economic ties that were first established in 1973, and have since taken steps to further strengthen ties by providing platforms for collaboration, partnership, and shared opportunities. She also highlighted the successful visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to the Italian Republic in February this year, which marked a new milestone in relations between both countries and have continually deepened over the past years. She mentioned that during the visit of HRH the Crown Prince, the two countries signed a number of agreements between Bahraini and Italian enterprises, which serve as a testament to the broadening of the countries’ bilateral partnership that will further enhance both economies. She also noted in this regard the official inauguration of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Embassy in Rome during the visit, which established a new platform for collaboration, as the embassy will help promote a stronger trading partnership between the two countries. The Undersecretary noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain currently holds more than 60 Italian commercial enterprises, and the opening of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) office in Bahrain on the July 1 will further increase and help facilitate trade and investment opportunities between companies from both countries. She added that this step emphasises the Kingdom of Bahrain’s keenness to further bolstering the strategic partnership between the two countries in various areas, especially in economy and trade. In conclusion, Dr. Shaikha Rana expressed her hope that these bi-annual conferences continue in the future, adding that she looks forward to hosting them and attending them in person once the situation permits. She noted that whether it is “Invest in Italy” or “Invest in Bahrain”, it is certain that the Kingdom will continue to invest in the strong relationship between the two countries, pointing out that this will set the path to enhancing the Bahraini-Italian commercial partnership to even greater heights in the future. It is worth noting that this virtual conference is the second in a series of webinars between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Italian Republic, the first held on June 25th, aimed at promoting and strengthening bilateral investment and trade between the two countries’ strategic economic sectors.