Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency in the framework of the conference on the restoration of the Ukrainian state, the Foreign Ministry’s press service said.
In particular, the Memorandum is an important step towards creating new opportunities for Ukrainian exporters in the Italian market, revitalizing B2B contacts, and expanding Ukrainian products on the shelves of leading Italian retail chains.
It is noted that within the framework of the initiated cooperation, Ukrainian exporters will be able to get expanded opportunities to establish direct working contacts with Italian partners, business meetings, participation in exhibitions and retail events.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is consistently expanding its partnerships with foreign specialized associations to help Ukrainian exporters enter new foreign markets using the capabilities of the Nazovni digital platform,” the Foreign Ministry’s press service summarized.
The international platform NAZOVNI is a globalization service for Ukrainian business created to promote goods and services abroad with the assistance of Ukrainian diplomatic missions.
Italy will continue to support Ukraine and will present a reconstruction plan for the country on April 26, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.
“In a telephone conversation with Dmitry Kuleba, he confirmed his support for Ukraine,” he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
“On April 26, we will present a plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine. We will perform together with our best companies,” he specified.
Tajani said he is in constant contact with IAEA head Rafael Grossi and stressed the importance of protecting the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP. “It is extremely important to protect the Zaporizhzhya power plant,” he wrote.
As reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba held a conversation with Tajani on Tuesday, during which the sides discussed new possible assistance that Italy could provide to ensure Ukraine’s victory over Russian aggression.
It was also reported earlier that a conference on reconstruction and rehabilitation of Ukraine will be held in Rome at the end of April.
The Italian government plans to hold a conference on April 26 with the participation of Italian companies on the reconstruction of Ukraine, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.
“Today, together with the G7 foreign ministers, I announced that the government will organize a conference for the resumption of Ukraine on April 26 with the participation of Italian companies. Our commitment to peace and freedom for the Ukrainian people continues,” Tajani wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Italy will organize a conference involving its own business companies on Ukraine’s reconstruction in April this year, Italian Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni said.
“We talked today about the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and about the Fast Recovery Plan, that is, the reconstruction now … In Italy a conference will be organized about the reconstruction in April of this year. We will work on its organization. Italian companies have the know-how and the competence to provide, because Italy wants to play a significant role in the reconstruction of Ukraine – starting now,” Meloni said at a press conference with the President of Ukraine in Kyiv.
She stressed that Italy can do a lot in this context because it has tremendous experience in many strategic areas like infrastructure, transportation, energy, agriculture, food, etc.
“Our know-how will be able to give an opportunity and the right signal: what was destroyed will be restored,” said the Italian prime minister.
In addition, she said, holding the international exhibition Expo 2030 in Odessa, where Ukraine has applied, would be a special signal to Europe, namely: “Belief that everything will be fine in Ukraine.”
Also, as Meloni noted, Italy already provides support and assistance to Ukraine in the field of protection of cultural heritage.
France and Italy have agreed to supply Ukraine with a SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile system, the French TV channel BFM-TV reported.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecorniou, during a phone conversation with his Italian counterpart Guido Crozetto on Friday, agreed on the final details of this delivery.
It is indicated that the air defense system will be delivered in the spring of 2023.
The French media note that this is the first delivery of a European long-range air defense system to Ukraine.
Two dry cargo ships with more than 45,000 tons of wheat and corn left Ukrainian ports on Friday, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) reported.
“On January 5, two ships left Ukrainian ports, they are transporting a total of 45.3 thousand tons of grain and other food within the framework of the Black Sea grain initiative,” the report said.
Dry-cargo vessels Lady Divina (18.3 thousand tons of wheat) and Med Island (27 thousand tons of corn) had left to Italy.
Six dry cargo ships, which passed through the humanitarian corridor on January 6, are also on their way to the ports.
“As of January 6, the total tonnage of grain and other agricultural products exported from the three Ukrainian ports is 16,832,561 tons. A total of 1,250 vessels were allowed to move so far: 622 to arrive at Ukrainian ports and 628 to leave them,” the JCC summarized.
