Italy and Kurdistan discuss agricultural cooperation

(AGI) Rome, Mar 9 - Italy and Kurdistan have met to discuss agriculture and bilateral cooperation within the sector. Italy's Undersecretary for Agriculture Giuseppe Castiglione and Kurdistan Regional Government Minister for Agriculture Abdulsattar Majeed discussed the historic steps that helped to consolidate fruitful relations between the two countries. Mr Majeed thanked the Italian government for the valuable work it continues to do, especially on the humanitarian front, for helping to stabilise an area much threatened by Islamic State and for supporting the people of Kurdistan. The conservation and packaging of agri-food products, the development of agricultural supply chains and the supply of agricultural machinery were among the areas in which collaboration might be stepped up. "Aside from our fruitful collaborative ties, there is a strong cultural link between our two countries - the humanitarian support provided by the Italian government even during this period of crisis is extremely important. We intend to promote forms of collaboration with Kurdistan that will help economic development and create jobs in the agri-food sector", said Mr Castiglione. "It would be a good idea to consider the possibility of creating support projects in the scientific and technological fields, involving our engineers and research institutes, who could provide know-how and agricultural machinery, to help encourage Italian investment in Kurdistan." (AGI). .