“Italy has much to offer” to a “fast-growing” market like that of Southeast Asia, announced Minister Giulio Terzi as he opened the sessions of the ASEAN Awareness Forum, a meeting of representatives from the 10 Asian nation members with Italian businesses, bodies and institutions to strengthen prospects for economic collaboration, trade, investments and business partnerships.
Terzi pointed out that Italian exports to the ASEAN market had been rising rapidly, peaking at nearly $6 billion, and that in some of those countries exports “have doubled in the last 7 to 8 years”, in sectors such as textiles, machinery, design and fashion, as well as innovation and research. And yet, he added, the ASEAN market “attracts less than 2% of Italian exports, and I am sure we can do better than that”.
The ASEAN Forum is the first initiative of its kind in a European country, “marking the importance also of the European dimension” ahead of the further development of ASEAN-EU relations (Vice-President of the European Commission Antonio Tajani is a forum participant). Moreover, Italy expects to strengthen relations with countries like Burma, which “is becoming a leader also on the regional plane thanks to the reform processes now under way”.
“We want more investments, more trade and more tourists” from Italy, asserted ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan, pointing out that Southeast Asia was a “dynamic region full of opportunities”, with “6-7% average growth over the past decade”, and a potential market of 600 million people.
The ASEAN Forum bears witness to Italy’s keen interest in Asia, where Premier Mario Monti is planning his next mission. His visits to China, South Korea and Japan, Terzi explained, will have the goal of “consolidating bilateral political and economic relations”, but also of advancing “multilateral efforts in areas such as nuclear security”. Indeed, Monti will be participating in the new session of the nuclear security summit planned for Seoul on 26 and 27 March.
