HE Ahmed Butti Ahmed, the Executive Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone and Director General of Dubai Customs underlined Dubai Customs` keenness on simplifying customs clearance procedures at entry ports and improving the service offered to different business communities to enhance Dubai`s image as an attractive investment destination and boost its commercial and economic relations worldwide.
Ahmed Butti Ahmad said these remarks during a meeting on September 27, 2012, with His Excellency Mr. Giovanni Favilli, Consul General of Italy in Dubai and an accompanying delegation from Italy business sector.
Welcoming the visiting delegation, Ahmad Butti Ahmad commended the advanced level of investment, economic and commercial cooperation between Dubai and Italy, voicing Dubai’s keenness to further bolster these bilateral relations through creating an attractive environment for investment, protecting trademarks owners’ rights and exchanging customs and border protection expertise.
The Director General also pointed out that the total value of Dubai’s trade exchange with Italy grew by 22% to AED18 billion in 2011 compared with 2010, with the value of the emirate’s imports from Italy and its exports and re-exports to the European country reaching AED16 billion and AED2 billion respectively.
The trade exchange between Dubai and Italy continued its growth during the first six months of 2012 to reach AED9.5 billion, representing a growth rate of 9% from the same period last year, with the value of imports, exports and re-exports amounting to AED8.5 billion and AED1 billion respectively.
Ahmad Butti Ahmad’s discussions with the visiting delegation also tackled the intensive efforts exerted by Dubai Customs to facilitate the legitimate trade and its anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting efforts which all have contributed to enhancing the world image of Dubai as a secure and attractive investment destination.
In addition, the Director General pointed to the several positive outcomes yielded from Dubai Customs’ cooperation with the emirate’s public and private sectors as well as the workshops it has organized to its customs inspectors in cooperation with trademarks owners.
Ahmad butti Ahmad also listened to the opinions and suggestions of the delegation members on how to improve the business environment and the quality of services that can ultimately lead to boosting the Dubai-Italy trade relations and overcoming the obstacles facing the joint ventures between the business sectors of both countries.
For his part, HE Mr. Giovanni Favilli expressed admiration towards the systems applied at Dubai Customs and the services it offers to Italy’s productivity and export agencies which create more chances of joint ventures and investments, voicing the Italian government’s and companies’ appreciation of the department’s efforts in safeguarding the intellectual property rights of the Italian trademarks which ultimately contributed to enhancing the presence of the Italian products in the UAE markets.