Damascus, (SANA)-The Syrian-Italian Businessmen Council started activities on Friday. The Council aims at consolidating bilateral economic relations in addition to exchanging expertise in the fields of business and services with all the countries of the world.

It also works on putting cooperation programs through the European and international governments and organizations.

The Council calls for making private or joint investments in Syria and Italy in various domains, underlining the importance of holding conferences and symposiums to keep up with the latest scientific and technological developments.

Both sides will discuss transferring advanced technology to Syria and Italy along with many other goals that would consolidate their economic and trade relations.

In a statement to SANA, Head of the Syrian-Italian Businessmen Council Farouk Jude said that the event embodies the outstanding economic and trade Syrian-Italian relations.

He added that the council would contribute to increasing trade volume between the two countries in addition to providing investment opportunities in Syria.

He indicated to the measures taken by the Syrian government over the past few years to create a favorable investment atmosphere in the country.

He asserted that the investment in Syria is very promising because it constitutes the center of the Arab markets and of some other countries.

Italy is considered the first European commercial partner of Syria as the volume of trade exchange between the two countries hit 1, 870 billion Euros in 2007.

Ruaa AL-Jazaeri / H.Sabbagh