KUALA LUMPUR: Italy, which has maintained a low profile in Malaysia, is keen to foster closer ties with Malaysia which is seen as an “ideal partner”.

Although bilateral relations have traditionally been good, Rome is making a strong push towards upgrading its relations with Kuala Lumpur.

Alessandro Busacca, Italy’s ambassador to Malaysia, said in an interview with Bernama that a network of bilateral treaties and agreements, supported by widespread “genuine appreciation” of the so-called “Italian way of life” in Malaysia reflected the growing intensity of ties.

“The icons of Italian fashion, design, food and automobiles are all present in Malaysia and, of course, this sort of ‘natural sympathy’ that Malaysians show towards Italy makes my job as ambassador easier. However, I also believe there is room for improvement at all levels,” the envoy said.

Busacca hailed the state visit to Italy by the former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi end June 2007 as a “landmark” in bilateral relations because it gave a strong and new impetus to bilateral political ties.

The visit also created new tools for concrete collaborations following the signing of two important joint declarations in the fields of agriculture and economic cooperation.

“The visit paved the way for an intensification of contacts between the two governments. Let me recall the subsequent two visits to Italy by the Malaysian Ministers of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries in 2007 and 2008, as well as the more recent trip by the Minister of Transport, Datuk Ong Tee Keat in December 2008,” Busacca asserted.

Italy, on its part, has also been sending trade missions to Malaysia to scout for business opportunities.

A high-profiled business delegation, headed by a senior government representative, is due to visit Malaysia this year.

The Italian industry, facing a bleak business outlook in Europe, is now aggressively tapping distant markets such as Malaysia.

“The Italian industry is now more inclined to seize new business opportunities. I also think in the past our respective business communities were not sufficiently aware of what the other side had to offer,” the ambassador explained, adding that his priority will be to further enhance the awareness in both countries.

This awareness had also been helped by the “very successful” Malaysia-Italy Business Forum held in Rome during former Prime Minister Badawi’s visit, attracting some 200 captains of business and industry from both countries.

Two-way trade touched 1.650 billion euros in 2008, with Italian exports to Malaysia showing an upward trend while Malaysia’s exports declined, mainly, because Italy found itself sucked into the whirlpool of the global economic crisis.

Italian investment in Malaysia is presently low.

“According to the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (Mida), 38 investment projects were completed in the period 1999-2008 with a value of 118.6 million euros,” the ambassador said, adding that Malaysian investments in Italy are also “very welcome”.

Italy, with its prowess in machine-building and aerospace, is keen to enter into partnership collaborations with Malaysia in these two areas.

An Italian-French joint venture between Malaysia Airlines and the ATR already exists since 2007 for the supply of ATR72-500 aircraft to be deployed by Firefly and MASwings.

Furthermore, an agreement was recently signed for the establishment of a regional MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) centre for ATR aircraft in Subang.

Aviation experts believe that this could enable Malaysia to become an important MRO hub of the future. On the other hand, it will also enable Italy to foray into Southeast Asia’s lucrative aviation markets.

Besides the growing cooperation in agriculture and agro-based sector, another area of cooperation is biotechnology where Italy, with its strong research and development facilities, can provide strong support to Malaysia’s own ambitious goals in biotechnology.

Other areas of cooperation, according to the Italian ambassador, include renewable energy development, environmental technology and management, defence, electric and electronic products, machinery and equipment for processing wood, textiles and plastics, ‘mechatronics’, medical equipment, engineering and logistics.

However, bilateral relations are “much more” than just trade and industry, as the ambassador put it.

Italy views Malaysia as a prominent regional actor not only within Asean but also the entire East Asia region.

Italy, which takes over the G-8 presidency in the current year, is interested to strengthen its cooperation with Malaysia to resolve regional issues such as Mindanao (Philippines), Myanmar and North Korea, as well as global issues such as climate change, food security, reform of the global governance architecture (including the UN).

“Our deputy minister of foreign affairs should visit Kuala Lumpur later this year to hold a political dialogue with Malaysia,” he said.

The visit will underscore the growing political cooperation between the two sides.

Italy’s top diplomat in Malaysia is also eyeing cultural diplomacy as a tool to increase Italy’s visibility in Malaysia. More than 125 scholarships were awarded to Malaysians for higher studies in the Italian language and culture in Italy.

Indeed, University Malaya offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Italian language at its Faculty of Asian and European Languages and Linguistics since 1999.

“We will be more than happy to provide visiting lecturers for Malaysian students who major in the Italian language,” he said.

After showcasing its culture and heritage during the exhibition ‘Italian Treasures’, organised in conjunction with the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in June 2008, highlighting some unique string instruments from both ancient and modern Italian school of violin-making, the Italian Embassy is supporting the work of an Italian museum expert Elisa Gagliardi-Mangilli who is writing a book on the ancient textile heritage of the Kelantan royal family.

“There is also the possibility of organising an exhibition in Italy showcasing the many treasures of the royal families of Malaysia,” Busacca said.

— Bernama