Doha - A bilateral meeting took place this morning in Doha, Qatar, between Deputy Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Valentino Valentini, and Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani. "It was an extremely cordial meeting," highlights Valentini, "where we assessed the excellent state of our bilateral relations. We discussed the major challenges our economies face: the green and digital revolution, support for SMEs, and energy issues." They also discussed opportunities to further enhance industrial cooperation and investments, following what was agreed upon during Minister Urso's last mission to Doha. "We have also decided to initiate negotiations for the signing of a memorandum of understanding to facilitate investments in our respective countries," Valentini announces. Qatar is one of the most dynamic economies in the entire Middle East and contends for the position of the world's leading exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) with the USA and Australia. The country plays a crucial role in Italy's energy security: in 2023, it was our third-largest gas supplier globally and our largest LNG supplier globally, with a 49% market share in 2022. In 2022, trade between Qatar and Italy reached €9.3 billion, qualifying us as Qatar's fourth-largest global supplier and its largest European supplier, with strategic collaborations in security, defense, and energy. Investments in Italy are mainly made by the sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (with an estimated asset value of around $475 billion) and focus primarily on real estate and luxury hospitality. (9colonne)