The total trade volume between Qatar and Italy stood at QR10.4bn last year, a 15% growth compared to figures recorded in 2017, according to data provided by private sector leader Qatar Chamber.

In a meeting with Joint Italian Arab Chamber of Commerce vice president and treasurer Pietro Paolo Rampino on Monday in Doha, Qatar Chamber chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani said both countries forged robust trade relations through mutual visits and the signing of agreements in different fields.

The meeting also touched on economic and trade relations of the two countries, and ways of enhancing cooperation between Qatar Chamber and the Joint Italian Arab Chamber of Commerce.

Both officials also reviewed preparations for the staging of the ‘Arab-Italian Business Forum’ slated on October 17 in Milan, Italy under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Ministry of Economic Development of Italy.

Organised by the Joint Italian Arab Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Qatar Chamber, the forum will highlight Qatar’s economy and business climate, and will see the participation of officials from the public and private sectors, as well as other stakeholders.

The third edition of the forum aims to include Arab and Italian start-ups, as well as to introduce new ideas of investment projects in various sectors.

Sheikh Khalifa said Italy is a “distinguished destination” for Qatari investments, which are distributed in many sectors. He noted that there are a number of Italian companies operating in Qatar in the fields of trading, construction, and technology, in addition to projects related to FIFA 2022 World Cup.

Rampino, for his part, lauded the development of Qatar’s economy, saying “Qatar is an important country to Italy.” He also stressed that there is “great cooperation” between Qatar and Italy at the economic and trading levels.

He also said the partnership with Qatar Chamber in organising the forum would provide “a good opportunity for exploring cooperation between both countries in many economic fields,” especially in digital economy, tourism, and infrastructure.