Italy-Argentina Forum includes 400 business meetings

(AGI) Buenos Aires, May 18 - More than 400 business to business meetings were held between 36 Italian and 120 Argentinian companies during the Italy-Argentina Forum. President of Confindustria's Committee for Internationalization Licia Mattioni, said the remaining companies had held meetings with ministers. Confindustria is the Italian employers' federation and national chamber of commerce. Ms Mattioli said the mission had been "very positive" and "confirms the privileged relationship Italy has built up over the last few years", which includes the latest meetings between Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Argentinian President Mauricio Macri. "Over the last year, 4,500 Italian companies have entered into trade relations with their Argentinian counterparts. More than 400 companies boast a fixed presence, with turnover around 8 billion euros". Confindustria's aim is that "these figures should be just a starting point for a new period in the relationship between our countries; a period that has great prospects for developing collaboration between our industrial systems." The mission constitutes "an important initiative that has been lacking for too long and it will not be the only one. We intend to get down to work over the next few weeks with the government, the Argentinian institutions and the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA), to explore together every possible channel of collaboration." During the morning, said Ms Mattioli, the heads of the Italian delegation met Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay "with whom we discussed credit lines and medium-term investments, over a 20 year period". Argentina "has asked our help in cutting their ranking, currently at level 7, the highest. We promised to help with this. We will do it as a business system, asking our government to put pressure on the Paris Club." There then followed a meeting with Energy Minister Juan Jose Aranguren: "There was a presentation of the 2025 energy plan, a project that has not yet been publicly illustrated." Ms Mattioli added that there were "various opportunities" in Argentina. With regard to food and energy "we will marry Italian technology with local needs. In the infrastructure field, the Macri government has launched the Belgrano Plan, a major investment programme worth around 16 billion dollars for improvements in the north of the country. Ten billion is earmarked for infrastructural networks connecting the north and the rest of the country, 5 billion for the rail sector and more than 1 billion for modernising 14 airports." Italian companies that already have a presence in Argentina include Salini-Impregilo, Ghella, Marcegaglia, Astaldi and Italferr. "We have many investments, with general contractors working on constructions worth 2.2 billion euros, a figure that represents 13 per cent of Latin America and 3.3 per cent of the world." Ms Mattioli concluded by saying that "very large investments" had also been made in the automotive sector. (AGI). .