Gov. Brian Kemp will lead a weeklong trade mission to Italy to strengthen existing economic ties with Italian businesses and develop new partnerships, the governor’s office announced Friday.

Kemp, Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp, and representatives of the state Department of Economic Development will meet next week with executives from companies currently doing business in Georgia, including firearms manufacturer Beretta, tiremaker Pirelli, TMC Transformers, and textiles manufacturer Aquafil.

“For decades, Georgia has enjoyed close economic and cultural ties to Italy,” Kemp said. “Marty and I look forward to building on that foundation of success during this trip.”

Italy is a top-15 trading partner with Georgia, with $3.4 billion in total trade moving between the Peach State and Italy last year.

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Italy also was among the top-10 international investors in Georgia in 2023, and Italian companies have invested more than $411 million since 2010 in projects with state involvement. About 90 Italian-owned facilities in Georgia support about 5,000 jobs.

Kemp led a trade mission to South Korea just last month. The last Georgia trade mission to Italy took place in 2017 and was led by then-Gov. Nathan Deal.