An Italian Institute for Foreign Trade and Italian industrial union convention opened in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, in hopes of strengthening commercial and industrial relations with Israel .
During the convention, that will continue through Thursday, some 100 representatives of various Italian companies will meet with Israeli representatives to discuss cooperation and joint ventures.
"In 2008 export from Italy to Israel rose by 10%, and import from Israel grew by 19%. There are still many options to increase this data," said Adolfo Urso, the deputy minister for economic development in Italy.
Italian banking representatives also attended the convention. "The banks in Italy would like to expand their activity in Israel," said Domenico Santasecca, president of the Italian Bank Association (ABI).