Italy's FM in Saudi Arabia to talk energy partnerships, investments as ties grow
The far-right government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has worked to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani began his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, to discuss energy partnerships, reducing illegal migration, and strengthening economic cooperation, including the kingdom’s Vision 2030 program to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
After arriving in Riyadh on Wednesday, he told journalists that building on Italian companies' current presence in Saudi Arabia, "We want them to invest in us and we want to invest in them."
Tajani is expected to meet his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, as well as the Saudi trade and investment ministers, Majid bin Abdullah al Qasabi and Khalid al Falih, the Italian news agency Agenzia Nova reported on Wednesday. Tajani will also meet the Italian ambassador to Riyadh.
Tajani, who also holds the deputy prime minister role along with far-right firebrand Matteo Salvini, said that the Saudi Vision 2030 program to diversify the kingdom’s economy away from oil “can offer interesting opportunities for our businesses in sectors such as tourism, innovation, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and entertainment,” the agency reported.
