Italian ambassador in Kiev sees prospects for bilateral economic relations

MOSCOW. April 2 (Interfax) - Italian Ambassador to Ukraine Pier Francesco Zazo has said he sees specific opportunities for developing bilateral economic relations between the two countries in many sectors, in particular, in agricultural industry, renewable energy, transportation, and logistics.

"At a general level, I see specific opportunities for developing bilateral economic relations in many sectors: agricultural industry, renewable energy, infrastructure, transport and logistics, machine building for the defense industry, space and Made in Italy consumer goods," Zazo said in a statement to the Ukrainian media.

Italy is interested in developing relations with Ukrainian railroads and ports and would like to enhance cooperation in the field of transportation and logistics, he said.

"For example, we are cooperating with private funds and with the involvement of the Italian government are working on developing a logistics hub in Goronda, which is situated on the border with Hungary. We would like to reinforce the pan-European corridor that connects northern Italy with Budapest and Kiev. This is important, especially given Ukraine's gradual integration into the European Union," Zazo said.

He also noted that the Italian export credit agency Servizi Assicurativi del Commercio Estero (SACE) will allocate 1.5 billion euros to support commercial and financial transactions, in particular, in the health and infrastructure sectors.

Additionally, an agreement between the health ministries of Italy and Ukraine, which will boost bilateral cooperation, is being finalized, Zazo added.