Industry, Trade and Supply Minister Maha Al Ali and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio on Monday discussed means to enhance economic relations, mainly in the trade and investment fields.

Both sides also went over the possibility to organise a joint business forum during the first half of the year with the aim of boosting economic cooperation in light of the economic developments imposed by the pandemic in both countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Ali and Di Maio highlighted the importance of adopting mechanisms that seek to increase the volume of trade, stimulate both countries’ private sectors to benefit from available opportunities, and cooperate in establishing investment funds targeting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agricultural and food industries sectors.

Ali expressed appreciation of the Italian government’s technical support programmes offered to the ministry for purposes of establishing an industrial observatory, and supporting the programme of enhancing SMEs’ competitiveness in the agricultural and agricultural industries and their capability to export their produce.

The Italian foreign minister voiced his country’s interest in developing economic cooperation with the Kingdom and going on with the technical cooperation under the programmes offered by the Italian government.