Oman-Italy video conference discusses trade, investment

Muscat: Oman, represented by the Public Authority for SMEs Development (Riyada), and Italy conducted a video conference to improve the existing trade ties between the two countries in developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and identifying business and investment opportunities for both countries.
The conference also discussed the possibility of sharing experiences and facilitating partnerships between SMEs from the two parties, according to a press release.
The Omani side was headed by Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, minister of commerce and industry and the chairman of Riyada, with attendance of Dr Hamed Said Al Aufi, undersecretary for agriculture and fisheries and Khalifa AlAbri, chief executive officer of Riyada along with Riyada senior managers and 14 representatives of Omani SMEs.
While the Italian side was attended by Federica Guidi, minister of economic development, Abdul Ghaffar Al Baloushi, minister counselor from the Omani embassy in Rome, Mario Cospito, diplomatic counselor of the minister at Ministry of Economic Development, and Patrizia Giarratana, director of programmes and projects for consumer goods and services, along with a number of Italian SMEs.
The areas for partnership that have been explored were tourism, chemical industries, food processing, industry, machinery and equipment, mining and building material, renewable energy and cosmetics.
The Public Authority for SMEs Development (Riyada) always seeks to empower entrepreneurs to exchange experiences regionally and internationally for creating windows between the local SMEs and their foreign counterparts in enhancing relationships, sharing experiences and facilitating business partnerships between them.