BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- Italy will be the guest of honor at the 54th edition of the Algiers International Fair, which will be held from June 19 to 24, 2023, at the Palace of Exhibitions SAFEX in the Pins Maritimes, Algiers.
In a statement to the daily E-Chourouk, the director of the Italian Agency for Foreign Trade (ITA), Gabriele Baronen, indicated that “the participation of Italian companies in this event will be collective,” noting that Italy was officially invited as a guest of honor at the request of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, which was also confirmed by the agency’s statement.
“The ITA organizes the Italian collective participation in the 54th edition of the International Fair of Algiers (IFA), where Italy, at the request of the President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune, will be the guest of honor,” noted the Italian agency in a press release. Italy’s last participation in the IFA as a guest of honor dates back to 2007, with 100 exhibitors in an area of approximately 2,000 m2. An event inaugurated by Emma Bonino, the then Italian Minister for International Trade.
Gabriele Baroni said that “the participation requests for Italian companies have been extended until April 21, and will focus in particular on the sectors of food industries, fishing, aquaculture, energy transition, biomedicine, the pharmaceutical industry, and physical and digital infrastructure.”
For this 54th edition, the organizers expect the presence of 350 Algerian and foreign exhibitors. According to the director of the “ECO” office in Algeria, “the return of the Italian presence at the Algiers” International Fair 2023 comes after the strong participation of Italian exhibitors in the two most important trade fairs to be held in Algiers in May and early June, which are “Batimatec” for building and construction and “Djazagro” for food industries, as the official Italian pavilion is expected to witness the presence of more than 170 companies.”
“Italy’s participation in this international event is of particular importance given the strong Algerian-Italian political and economic relations,” explained the ITA’s press release.
According to data from the Italian Embassy, trade between the two countries exceeded $20 billion in 2022, the lion’s share of which went to natural gas. Algeria has become Italy’s leading supplier of this important energy resource.
Algeria and Italy share a long history of bilateral relations, starting from the time of Algeria’s independence from France in 1962. The two countries have maintained friendly ties, and this is reflected in the numerous bilateral agreements that they have signed, covering areas such as trade, investment, security, culture, and education.
In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to enhance cooperation between the two countries further. This has been illustrated in the various high-level visits and meetings between Algerian and Italian officials, which have focused on expanding trade and investment ties. Moreover, Italy considers Algeria as a key partner in confronting common challenges such as terrorism, illegal immigration, and organized crime.
