The Italian Embassy in Tehran celebrated 160 years of partnership with Iran on April 28 in the presence of Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Perrone, which highlighted Italy's historical role in Iran's industrial development.
The event opened with the screening of a documentary on Italy's role in the construction of the Trans-Iranian Railroad.
The major railroad construction project, which started in 1927, was completed in 1938. It links the capital Tehran with Imam Khomeini Port on the Persian Gulf in the south and Torkaman Port on the Caspian Sea in the north, via Ahvaz and Qom.
Nino Cingolani, CEO of Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), also joined the Wednesday meeting via Skype and talked about the company's unfinished projects in Iran, hoping that FS would be able to complete these projects as soon as sanctions against Iran are lifted, following a possible agreement between Iran and the US that are holding indirect talks in Vienna, Austria.
Italian transport operator FS had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways to design and build two high-speed rail lines in Iran in 2016, but due to the US sanctions and Iran's payment problems, the company suspended operations in 2018.
According to Iran’s Consul General in Milan Dariush Sowlat, in the past 40 years, Italy has been one of the most important economic partners of Iran among European states and in 2010-11 ranked among the top trading partners of Iran by registering over $7 billion in commercial exchanges.
Last year, Ahmad Pourfallah, the head of Iran-Italy Chamber of Commerce, estimated that Iran’s frozen assets in Italy stand at $4-5 billion.
Pourfallah was the first Iranian businessman to win the Leonardo International Prize, “a sign of the new direction of Italy's relationship with Iran after the lifting of nuclear sanctions” in 2016, Italian News Agency Agi reported then.
The award was presented by Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
