Abdulatipov meets with Consul General of Italy


Makhachkala, October 3, 2016. Yesterday, Dagestani Head Ramazan Abdulatipov, taking part in the International Investment Forum "Sochi - 2016", met with the Honorary Consul of Italy in the Southern and North Caucasus Federal Districts Pierpaolo Lodigiani.

In an interview with Pierpaolo Lodigiani, Ramazan Abdulatipov pointed out the prospects of cooperation between the Italian businessmen and Dagestan.

"The republic of Dagestan, I can call a kind of Caucasian Italy in many ways: due to its climatic conditions, agricultural productions, and the mentality. Besides, Italy had been the center of a large empire, and Dagestan was at the center of the "Silk Road".

We know that the Italian businessmen are quite ambitious, they are not afraid of new trends and activities. Dagestan gets used to the Italian clothing, furniture, but I prefer that all these products would be manufactured in our republic. Optional carry goods thousands of kilometers away, thereby increasing the cost of production. One of the advantages of Dagestani market is a high purchasing ability occupied the third place in the country - after Moscow and St. Petersburg.

I also want to report on a number of projects for creating the large wholesale and logistics centers. We, together with the North Caucasus Development Corporation, planned to create the Caspian transport-logistics center, which will include shipbuilding, ship repairing, fish factories, and processing plants. The cost of the project makes 100 billion rubles, implementation period about 7 years. By the way, Chinese and Turkish businessmen expressed a wish to participate in this project. We would be glad your suggestions”. – Abdulatipov noted.

In his turn, Pierpaolo Lodigiani has expressed interest in such a partnership.

"First of all, I wish to thank You for the opportunity to find out Dagestani projects. Unfortunately, last year I couldn’t take part in a business mission, but I hope to visit Dagestan soon. We want to provide a chance for the Italian companies to cooperate with companies not only from Moscow or St. Petersburg, but also in other promising regions of Russia.

Next week, I attend the Italy-Russia Council in Rome gathered for the first time in the last five years. We hope to receive more detailed information about Dagestani business projects soon.

After the difficult 2015 year, we are seeking for prospective projects. We also appreciate new dynamics in relations between the Italy and Russia. Our task is to direct our company in the regions that offer more opportunities and possibilities. Your republic is one of those”- the onsul concluded.

Pierpaolo Lodigiani, in particular, said that the substantive focus of the current economic climate should be given to the small and medium businesses. Ramazan Abdulatipov, in turn, proposed to implement a joint project in this direction.