MINSK, 7 October (BelTA) – An office of the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) for support and promotion of Italian companies abroad opened in Minsk on 7 October, BelTA has learned.
This step is a result of joint work of Belarus and Italy and was taken to meet the growing demand of the business circles of the two countries, Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Evgeny Shestakov said at the opening ceremony. The opening of the ICE office reflects mutual interest in cooperation and should give an impetus to bolstering business ties. Evgeny Shestakov thanked the Italian partners for help in establishing the ICE office and said that Belarus had been looking forward to it. He believes that this step will give momentum to Belarus-Italy trade and economic cooperation.
Evgeny Shestakov pointed out that Belarus and Italy have developed a lot of mechanisms and tools to strengthen trade and economic ties. Evgeny Shestakov noted that Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Rumas visited Italy in 2019 and stressed the importance of his talks with Italian partners. Moreover, Rome hosted the 2nd session of the Belarusian-Italian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation this summer. Joint business forums also help enhance cooperation.
In turn, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Belarus Mario Giorgio Stefano Baldi noted that the ICE office in Minsk will help expand the embassy's work in the sphere of trade and will invigorate the arrival of Italian companies on the Belarusian market as well as the arrival of Belarusian companies on the Italian market.
The diplomat noted that innovative development will be a priority for the agency. He also said he believes that innovations will become the foundation the entire edifice of future Belarus-Italy cooperation will be built on.
Italian Trade Agency President Carlo Ferro said a few words about the agency, which works hard in many countries. Every year the agency organizes over 800 business promotion events such as trade shows, fairs, seminars, business matchmaking sessions, market studies, and awareness-raising campaigns to promote the Made in Italy brand across the globe.
