02-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Anwar meets Italian defence, energy industry leaders
ROME: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim began the second day of his official visit to Italy by holding direct engagement sessions with the country's key business leaders.
The prime minister said he met with two Italian defence industry giants in Fincantieri SpA and Leonardo SpA, both of whom had recently participated in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition (Lima '25)
He said the meetings had strengthened the prospects for long-term relationships between Malaysia and Italy.
The meeting with Fincantieri was with its chief executive officer Pierroberto Folgiero, while Leonardo was represented by its senior vice-president (marketing and strategic campaigns) Tomasso Pani.
"I stressed the importance of a government-to-government (G2G) approach to strengthen Malaysia's position as a hub for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations in Southeast Asia," said Anwar.
Meanwhile, the prime minister met with Italian energy company ENI SpA, represented by its CEO Claudio Descalzi, and Petronas president and CEO Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik.
In the meeting, they discussed existing cooperation and also worked to explore new investment opportunities that could be mutually beneficial.
"I took advantage of this session to affirm that Malaysia remains a stable, progressive, and reliable investment destination," said Anwar, while urging that all commitments that were expressed be followed up with concrete actions so that the planned investments can be realised within the stipulated timeframe.
The Malaysian delegation also included representatives from relevant ministries and agencies in order to strengthen bilateral ties and attract quality investments from Italy.
