Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Rome today for the first visit to Europe after the entry into force of the historic nuclear deal, with the consequent lifting of sanctions. Today he will be received by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and by the Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. On Tuesday, however, he will visit Pope Francis - accompanied by rumors of an invitation to the Pope to go to Iran - and, in the morning, he will participate in the Italy-Iran Business Forum. It was Rouhani himself who tweeted about his arrival in Rome: “Landed. I am here to deepen bilateral ties and explore opportunities for constructive engagements."
landed in #Rome. Looking forward to deepening bilateral ties & exploring opportunities for #ConstructiveEngagement. pic.twitter.com/PoIgIm7edo
- Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 25 2016
Rouhani's visit began with a meeting at the Quirinale at 12, while the appointment with Renzi is at 19 in the Campidoglio. The meeting with President Sergio Mattarella, which will be followed by a working lunch, is also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paolo Gentiloni, and on the Iranian side a delegation of ministers including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Oil and the Minister of the Industry.
On Tuesday, the Iranian president will participate in the Italy-Iran Business Forum in the morning, from which the signing of agreements with Tehran for a total value of 17 billion euros is expected: the Italian companies involved go to Saipem, with which an agreement is expected from 5 billion, to Danieli, from Condotte to Coet, from Gavio to Fincantieri. In the afternoon, the visit to the Pope.
"We are determined to increase relations with the EU - Rohani said - and Italy is our gateway to Europe".
In fact, today Italy is Iran's second trading partner in the EU (after Germany), with trade that came close to 1,6 billion euros in 2014, up sharply on the previous year.
Sace, the Institute for foreign trade insurance services, forecasts an increase in Italian exports to Iran of around three billion over the next four years, compared to the billion recorded in 2014, made up largely of mechanical engineering.
