Sheikh Mohammed receives Italian team

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, received Italian Minister of Economic Development Paolo Romani and Minister of Foreign Trade Adolfo Urso and the delegation of representatives of Italian companies participating in Index 2010.

Welcoming the high-level delegation at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, he underlined the strong trade and investment relations and co-operation with Italy.

Romani praised Dubai for facilitating the participation of Italian exhibitors in Index, which he said contributes to stronger trade exchange with the UAE and regional countries. He expressed the desire of his government and Italian private sector to increase presence in the UAE, which he said is a fertile land for trade and investment.

Later, Sheikh Mohammed toured the Index 2010 exhibition that opened at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) on Monday and met representatives of Italian companies.

During his tour he stopped at various stands, including the Italian pavilion, where he met business leaders representing some of the 100 commercial enterprises from Italy participating in the exhibition.

Sheikh Mohammed and the businessmen discussed the exhibition's continuous development since its inception in 1990, with the latter describing the expo as an important meeting place for industry professionals in the UAE and the region.

The Italian businessmen thanked Sheikh Mohammed for his visit, after which he visited other stands from around the world, where he was briefed on the latest in the field of furniture and interior design.

He also visited stands of participating companies from Spain, Germany, Brazil, the US, China, Turkey, France, Indonesia and India.

Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied by Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Director of the Dubai Ruler's Office Lt General Musabbah Rashid Al Fattan, Chief Executive of DWTC Helal Saeed Al Marri and other senior officials.

The interior design show is taking place between November 8 and 11.

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