Italy Officially Invites Hassan Rouhani to Visit Rome

On Wednesday, Italy officially invited Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, to visit Italy. Paolo Gentiloni, the Italian Foreign Minister, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, August 4, leading a business-economic delegation for two days, and met with Rouhani on Wednesday along with Federica Guidi, the Italian Minister of Economic Development. The Italian Foreign Minister carried an official invitation from Matteo Renzi, the Prime Minister of Italy, for Rouhani's visit to Rome. Rouhani thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and expressed hope to visit Italy at an appropriate time. During the meeting with Gentiloni and Guidi, Rouhani referred to the historical relations between Iran and Italy, stating, "Today, there are many opportunities for attracting foreign investments in the country, especially in the fields of energy, banking, insurance, industry, transportation, and health, and considering the necessary infrastructure, especially the educated and efficient young workforce, we can benefit from the post-agreement atmosphere for the benefit of both parties and the European Union." Rouhani also emphasized the need to develop cooperation to strengthen stability and security in the region, stating, "The issue of terrorism and insecurity is a contagious disease that does not belong to a specific region." The Italian Foreign Minister had also met with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, on Tuesday. Gentiloni, prior to his trip to Iran, stated in an interview that Italy aims to return to its pre-sanction economic position, noting that Italy has certainly suffered during the sanctions in terms of economic relations with Iran. However, the agreement reached in Vienna gives us the opportunity to gradually restore economic relations. The Iranian Minister of Economy stated that the volume of relations between Iran and Italy was previously seven billion dollars but has decreased to one and a half billion dollars due to recent restrictions. Ali Tayebnia, the Iranian Minister of Economy, also mentioned that it has been agreed to increase Italy's purchase of Iranian oil following the lifting of sanctions. Last week, Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, during his visit to Tehran, stated that he carried an official invitation from the President of France for Rouhani to visit France in November.