KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — Italy is preparing to bring more investors to explore opportunities in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) as European interest in Malaysia’s flagship cross-border economic corridor continues to grow.

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the government organised the JS-SEZ Executive Forum after receiving strong interest from Italy and other European countries seeking to better understand investment opportunities in the economic zone.

“We received a strong request from Italy particularly, and also from European countries, to organise a session with potential investors and their chambers,” he told reporters today.

Akmal said he had personally committed to organising the engagement after Italian Ambassador Raffaele Langella informed him that investors were keen to explore opportunities in the JS-SEZ.

“I gave my personal commitment because we need to quickly capture this interest and try to convince them into real outcomes,” he said.

He added that today’s forum would not be a one-off engagement, with follow-up sessions already being planned.

“His Excellency has given me the commitment that maybe there will be a follow-up session... hopefully we can make some breakthrough with investments coming from the European countries,” he said.

Speaking at the same press conference, Langella said Italian companies were interested in a wide range of sectors, including oil and gas, food manufacturing and semiconductors, while seeking high-quality investments integrated into regional supply chains.

He noted that Italian firms such as STMicroelectronics already have a presence in Johor, while energy company ENI is undertaking a major project with Petronas.

“We are looking for the quality of the projects... not investment in general but high-quality investment,” he said.

Langella said Italian companies also wanted to share expertise with Malaysian firms, particularly in small and medium enterprises, workforce training and technical education.

He added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to Rome last year had helped change perceptions of Malaysia among Italian businesses.

“I see that in Italy there is a strong interest towards Malaysia that was nowhere to be found before,” he said.

Asked whether discussions with Italian investors had reached an advanced stage, Akmal said today’s forum marked only the beginning.

“I tried to really put JS-SEZ on the map for Italians for them to consider,” he said, adding that the Iskandar Regional Development Authority and other agencies would now work to convert investor interest into actual projects.