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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Mega deals in offing as Rouhani visits Europe |
| 2016-01-26 |
| [DAWN] Iranian President Hassan Rouhani flew to Italia on Monday at the start of his first official visit to Europe, looking to sign multi-billion dollar contracts to help to modernise Iran's economy after years of crippling financial sanctions. Heading a 120-strong delegation of Iranian business leaders and ministers, Mr Rouhani will spend two days in Rome before flying to La Belle France. While diplomacy will figure high on his agenda, trade ties are likely to dominate the headlines, with Iran announcing plans to buy more than 160 European planes, mainly from Airbus, on the eve of President Rouhani's departure. Officials here said Italian companies were poised to sign deals worth up to $18.4 billion over the next two days, including in the energy and steel sectors. The deals will give a boost to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who is struggling to revive Italia's underperforming economy. |
| Posted by:Fred |