NNA - The state visit to Italy of the Emir of Qatar has begun, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during which he met the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarellaand the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. The mission confirms the excellent diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries and the willingness to cooperate at a critical time for the entire Middle East region. Emir Al Thani and President Mattarella discussed bilateral relations and a series of regional and international issues of common interest at the Quirinale. At the beginning of the talks with the delegations, which were also attended by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli, President Mattarella declared that it is “an honor for the Italian Republic” to have the Emir of Qatar in Rome. Mattarella underlined that the many bilateral meetings, even at government level, “demonstrate how strong the bond between Qatar and Italy is, and how important the relationship with Qatar is for us as an essential interlocutor in international politics and for the large amount of bilateral relations, of great collaboration that we have”.
 

Emir Al Thani, accompanied by Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, was also received at Villa Doria Pamphilj by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Discussions focused on the situation in the Middle East, where the Prime Minister shared with Emir Al Thani the results of her recent missions in Jordan and Lebanon, confirming Italy's support for the mediation conducted by Qatar, together with Egypt and the United States, for an agreement in the Gaza Strip. The two leaders also addressed the humanitarian situation in the Strip and the serious crisis of displaced persons in Lebanon. The meeting then allowed them to reiterate their shared firm support for the mission of the United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the need to guarantee the safety of its personnel at all times, working for the full implementation of Resolution 1701 also through the necessary international support for the Lebanese Armed Forces. Regarding bilateral relations, Prime Minister Meloni and the Emir reaffirmed their mutual desire to strengthen collaboration between Rome and Doha, also with reference to the African continent within the framework of the Mattei Plan for Africa. This desire was reflected in a joint declaration adopted at the end of the meeting, to which was added the signing of several agreements in numerous sectors of mutual interest.

Among the main points of the joint declaration signed during the bilateral meeting at Villa Doria Pamphilj, Prime Minister Meloni and Emir Al Thani expressed “the will to explore new ways of collaboration, continuing the discussion on the creation of an Italian military logistics hub in Qatar and promoting the coordination of exports in the region”; they declared that bilateral cooperation will be further increased “in relation to energy security and energy transition, also in the broader framework of Qatar’s gas field projects”; they expressed their “commitment to promoting direct investments in both countries”, focusing on strategic sectors, such as energy, defense, communications technology, digitalization, agriculture and food supply, transport and infrastructure, real estate, tourism, education and healthcare; they stated that “migration is a global issue that requires collective commitment and enhanced cooperation to address the challenges and seize the opportunities it presents”; and reaffirmed their “support for the two-state solution, with an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security.”

On the first day of his state visit, Emir Al Thani was also received at Montecitorio by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana. The focus of the meeting was the conflict in the Middle East, stability in the Mediterranean area and the strengthening of bilateral relations at the parliamentary level between Italy and Qatar. In this regard, President Fontana expressed the hope for the resumption of discussions for the approval of the memorandum of parliamentary collaboration between the Chamber of Deputies and the Qatari Shura Council. Furthermore, as part of the Emir's state visit, a state lunch is planned this evening, which will be attended by Prime Minister Meloni and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, returning from a mission in Israel and the West Bank. A farewell ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow, in the presence of Tajani, Deputy Minister Cirielli and the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin.

Five agreements were signed during the state visit to Rome by Emir Al Thani. In addition to the adoption of a joint declaration on the main aspects of bilateral cooperation (foreign policy, migration, the Rome Process and the Mattei Plan, investments, defense, energy, judicial cooperation, research, tourism), according to Italian sources, there was an exchange of agreements at government and private sector level. These are: a memorandum of understanding for the joint promotion of direct investments; a memorandum of understanding to consolidate cooperation in the tourism sector, including mutual promotion; a declaration of intent between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Qatari Museum Authority to strengthen cooperation in cultural diplomacy; a ⁠memorandum of understanding between Fincantieri and Barzan, a pre-agreement in view of the signing of the contract for 40 Omega 360 radars; an agreement between Sace, an Italian financial insurance group participated by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Estithmar Holding, a listed Qatari company that operates in strategic sectors including healthcare, services, real estate, tourism and contracting. The aim is to create strategic access to the Qatari market for Italian companies, particularly in the construction and healthcare sectors, as part of Sace's Push strategy. In this context, Sace will guarantee a line of 150 million euros to Estithmar Holding in exchange for a commitment to create business matching opportunities with Italian companies in their respective sectors of interest.-- Nova news 

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