The Prime Minister of cash-strapped Italy yesterday used a visit to the UAE to call for firms from both countries to step up their efforts to find investment opportunities.
Speaking at a UAE-Italy Business Forum organised by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday, Mario Monti said the UAE is Italy’s “most important trading partner among all the Arab countries”.
But with a deeply troubled economy at home, the Italian leader can’t afford to be satisfied just yet.
“Italian companies need to further explore the opportunities offered by the dynamic economy here in the UAE,” he said.
Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, said non-oil trade between the UAE and Italy rose from Dhs5.5 billion a year to Dhs21.9 billion in the space of the decade from 2001 to 2011.
