Italy's minister of the environment, land and seas has announced his country's willingness in helping Iranian auto part companies produce pollution reducing engine elements. Gian Luca Galetti said his country could also help Iran in reducing its pollution levels.
Galetti met with Iran's Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad-Reza Nematzadeh on Sunday at the Department of Environment (DoE). He stressed that collaboration between Iran and Italy could be expanded, especially in the environmental field, Mehr news agency reported on Sunday. The Italian minister expressed hope that the meeting could lead to better relations between the two countries.
Nematzadeh also said that Iran is ready to expand automotive cooperation with Italy in building diesel filters for Iran's industrial and heavy goods vehicles. Designing and manufacturing catalytic converters and engines which can increase fuel efficiency and reduce pollution are also a priority, he added.
Iran and Italy have previously collaborated in different areas including oil, gasoline, petrochemical, and energy sectors. "Cooperation should resume soon," Nematzadeh said. The Iranian minister added that the globally accepted methods are followed in Iran to minimize environmental damage. Domestically produced cars now follow the European Union's Euro 4 standard, whilst impressive under current conditions, Nematzadeh said that "the industry needs to move toward adopting Euro 5 and Euro 6 within the next few years."
After western sanctions were imposed on Iran, Rome's trade balance with Tehran has dropped from $7 billion to $1.5 billion in recent years.
