Envoy lauds ties with Qatar as Italy celebrates National Day

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Doha: The strong bilateral ties between Qatar and Italy were highlighted during Italy’s 75th Italian National Day celebrations held in Doha yesterday.  The live-streamed event hosted by the Italian embassy in Doha emphasised further strengthening the relations between both countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi; Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Ambassador Ibrahim Yousef Fakhroo; Deputy Director of the European Affairs Department, Ali Al Khater; and Dean of Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Eritrea to Qatar, H E Ali Ibrahim Ahmed were present at the event.  ''On a bilateral level, in the past year, despite many challenges, the cooperation between Italy and Qatar has successfully continued, with a large range of events, meetings, and visits,” said Italian ambassador H E  Alessandro Prunas.  He highlighted the Memorandum on Strategic Dialogue signed between Qatar and Italy in 2020, stressing the willingness to enhance political dialogue and facilitate peaceful solutions through continuous exchange and coordination in the framework of international organisations and international law.  ''Cooperation is expanding to new subjects and areas of exchange thanks to the remarkable reforms adopted by the State of Qatar,” said Prunas emphasising Qatar’s labour market reforms and planned elections for the Shura Council next October.  According to Prunas, the business partnership between Qatar and Italy remains solid across different sectors, where the ‘Made in Italy’ products offer innovation, advanced technology, and highly customised products and services.  ''Regarding the development of the internal market of Qatar and new potential commercial partnerships, new laws and regulations are making the business environment more friendly and dynamic for foreign investors. ''We are proud that the stadium, which will host the opening game of the most-awaited World Cup 2022 – Al Bayt Stadium – was built by Italian companies as well as part of the Doha Metro,” he added.  Prunas stressed the need to enhance collaboration with Qatar in research, culture, and environment protection.  ''I would like to extend a particular acknowledgment to the community of Italian professors and researchers working in Qatar for their contribution to developing the scientific cooperation between the two countries. There is a growing potential to develop together. We are working to increase the number of collaborations with Qatari research institutes, sharing knowledge and progressing research to the benefit of the international community,” said Prunas. According to him, the Italian embassy in Doha is planning an intense cultural programme for the next Autumn/Winter in partnership with Qatari institutions. June 2 marks the 74th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Italy – ‘Festa della Repubblica’ in Italian — a day celebrated in Italy and by Italian citizens abroad.MENAFN03062021000063011010ID1102202547