ROME: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will begin his second day in the Italian capital with a roundtable meeting with key industry leaders.
Anwar, who arrived on Tuesday for a three-day working visit, is set to meet captains of industry from 36 Italian firms, including multinational companies such as Leonardo SpA, STMicroelectronics and Ferrero.
Leonardo specialises in aerospace, defence and security, STMicroelectronics is a semiconductor company, while Ferrero is one of the world’s largest sweet-packaged food companies. All three MNCs have a significant presence in Malaysia.
The meeting will take place during the Malaysia-Italy Economic Partnership Roundtable, an event jointly organised by both governments.
Anwar is also expected to meet Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, who is also the Foreign Affairs Minister at the meeting.
Senior government officials and a corporate delegation comprising representatives from 13 Malaysian companies across various sectors will accompany Anwar.
On the same day, Anwar will also hold meetings with Comunita Religiosa Islamica Italiana (COREIS) vice-president Imam Yahya Pallavicini and Abdellah Redouane, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy and Mosque of Rome.
On Thursday, Anwar is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Chigi Palace.
Anwar is accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir is also part of the delegation.
Italy is the third-largest national economy in the European Union (EU) and the world’s eighth-largest by gross domestic product (GDP).
Its economy accounts for about 12 per cent of the EU’s GDP.
Malaysia and Italy enjoy longstanding and multifaceted relations, underpinned by strong economic ties, growing trade and investment, and people-to-people exchanges.
Between January and May 2025, total trade grew by 3.3 per cent year-on-year to RM6.5 billion (USD1.48 billion).
In 2024, total trade between Malaysia and Italy saw a two per cent rise to RM14.61 billion (US$3.18 billion) against 2023.
Italy remains Malaysia’s fifth-largest trading partner and third-largest importer of Malaysian palm oil among European Union member states in 2024.
Anwar is undertaking a series of visits to Italy, France and Brazil as part of Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and promote economic cooperation at the global level.
