The Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Thai Board of Trade and the Italian Embassy in Bangkok recently organised the Italian-Thai Business Forum (ITBF) for the ninth consecutive year in Florence, Italy.
Business leaders from 16 Thai companies and 13 Italian firms attended.
ITBF is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen ties between the two nations with 156 years of diplomacy, particularly focusing on the field of economic cooperation.
Their economic ties have grown, with total trading volume in 2023 tallying US$5.06 billion, more than 190 billion baht.
In May of this year, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin made an official visit to Italy and held discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to encourage collaborative trade and investment. Mrs Meloni plans to visit Thailand in February 2025.
H.E. Paolo Dionisi, Italian ambassador to Thailand, and H.E. Puttaporn Ewtoksan, Thai ambassador to Italy, both attended the forum.
Busaba Chirathivat, co-chair of the ITBF and advisor to Central Group, said the forum serves as a platform for executives from the private sectors of both countries to present their businesses' strengths and potential, aiming to forge stronger partnerships that can propel target industries in a variety of areas.
Italy is Thailand's 24th commercial partner and its third EU partner, so this forum is meant to facilitate trade and investment between the two nations, deepening collaboration in a tangible and effective way, she said.
Thawatchai Setthachinda, vice-president of the Thai chamber, said the group emphasised the continuation of Unioncamere: the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture.
The Italian chamber promotes small and medium-sized enterprises, especially in food, fashion (silk), and lifestyle (ceramics and furniture) to the international market.
With nearly a decade of success, the forum demonstrates the two nations' willingness to increase possibilities for trade and investment cooperation, said Ms Busaba.
The 13 Italian companies attending the forum comprised: Italmobiliare, Intesa Sanpaolo, CIS Sicily & Unicitrus, CNH Industrial, Ferrero, Cavagna Group, Inalca Food & Beverage - Cremonini Group, IVECO, SAIPEM, Vittoria, Danieli, Pirelli, and Leonardo.
The 16 Thai companies attending the forum comprised: Central Group, Mitr Phol Group, Thaivivat Insurance, Vatana Phaisal Engineering, Bangkok Bank, Merchant Partners Asset Management, SCG JWD, Pin Siam, Thai Hua Rubber, Allied Metals (Thailand) Co, Thai Union Group, Boon Rawd Brewery, Graphene Creations, Thai Summit Autoparts Industry, Global Power Synergy, and Deesawat Industries.
