Abu Dhabi Chamber Invites Italian Companies to Boost their Investments in UAE

His Excellency Khalfan Saeed Al Kaabi, 1st Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called on Italian industrial companies to benefit from the available opportunities and the facilities which are offered by Sheikh Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD) and the Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones (ZonesCorp), stressing on the need to increase the presence and participation of Italian companies in the new industrial projects in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

During a meeting with His Excellency Ugo Cappellacci, President of Sardinia Region in Italy, and the accompanied trade delegation, HE Al Kaabi emphasized on the necessity to enhance cooperation and coordination between the two sides in establishing small and medium enterprises and benefit from the exceptional Italian experiences in this regard as well as increasing the participation of Italian companies in investing in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He noted that the door is wide open for economic cooperation between the two sides and for the Italian companies to benefit from what Abu Dhabi offers especially in industrial, services and technical sectors which are envisioned by Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.

His Excellency Helal Mohammed Al Hamili, Acting Director General of the Abu Dhabi Chamber; and Salamah Al Marikhi from the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, attended the meeting.

HE Al Kaabi praised the distinguished level of economic and trade relations between the UAE and Italy, especially the continuous development in cooperation, exchanging expertise and establishing joint projects between Emirati companies and their Italian counterparts.

The 1st Deputy Chairman said that Italy occupies a distinguished place amongst the trade partners of the UAE and comes at the top of the exporting countries to Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a whole. He noted that the total of trade exchange between the two countries reached AED 20.8 million by the end of 2011 and such a number would witness a considerable increase during 2013.

A number of proposals were presented during the meeting which would contribute to the economic and investment cooperation relations between the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Sardinia Region in Italy. Such proposals included an increase in the volumes of exports from the UAE and Abu Dhabi to Italy and Sardinia Region as well as exchanging trade delegations and commissions , participating in economic events, supporting companies in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Sardinia Region, and establishing joint investment projects between the sectors which are of a common interest to the economies of the two countries.

Al Kaabi expressed the readiness of the Chamber to provide all sorts of support to the companies of the private sector in Sardinia Region which are looking for industrial investment opportunities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and those companies which are looking for investment and trade partners in the emirate.

He also presented a detailed explanation to the role and services of the Abu Dhabi Chamber and the facilities which it offers for companies and businessmen whom are interested in investing in the emirate, which come within the frame of supporting the governmental efforts in enhancing the competitiveness of Abu Dhabi as one of the most important investment and attractive centers in the region.

For his part, HE Ugo Cappellacci, President of Sardinia Region in Italy, invited businessmen and companies in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to boost their investments in Sardinia Region which is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and offers great investment and economic opportunities in many sectors and fields. The Italian official emphasized the necessity to activate the investment partnerships between the companies of the private sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Sardinia Region.

A recent report released by the Abu Dhabi Chamber on the occasion of the Italian visiting delegation to the country, showed that the number of registered Italian companies in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi exceeded 500 companies, and the number of registered Italian trade agencies in the UAE reached 390 agencies. The report also noted that the number of registered Italian trademarks in the UAE is 6,095 ones. The report said that there are more than eight Emirati companies invest in a number of vital sectors in Italy.