Premier Giorgia Meloni stated on Monday the shared interest between Italy and Saudi Arabia in enhancing strategic relations across multiple sectors. Signed industrial agreements aim to boost the Italy-Saudi Arabia strategic partnership.
“Italy and Saudi Arabia have an interest in tightening strategic relations on various themes,” she stated.
Speaking in Al’Ula after meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday, Meloni announced the signing of cooperation and industrial agreements worth approximately €10 billion as part of an enhanced Italy-Saudi Arabia strategic partnership.
On the situation in the Middle East, Meloni underscored Saudi Arabia’s crucial role. “Saudi Arabia is a key actor,” she told reporters, adding, “Regarding the hypothesis that we support of a normalisation and a two-State solution, the normalisation of relations between Arabia and Israel can facilitate the process.”
She highlighted Saudi Arabia’s importance in Lebanon as well. “In Lebanon as well, where Saudi has a key role in the strengthening of Lebanese institutions and in the election of the new president,” she noted.
Discussing Syria, Meloni described Saudi Arabia as “a country committed to stabilisation.” She continued, “Arabia is objectively an actor which, in the Middle East as well as in Africa, has a very important role of stabilisation and normalisation and represents an interlocutor with whom it is important to work together.”
Meloni also expressed support for expanding the GCAP combat aircraft agreement with the UK and Japan to include Saudi Arabia. However, she noted that such a development “would not be immediate.”
Read: Amerigo Vespucci docks in Jeddah
Dialogue needed over tariff conflicts
On the issue of tariffs, Meloni stressed the need for dialogue over conflict. “Dialogue and a balanced solution are the way to deal with tariffs, so I will do what I can to find solutions together with the US administration,” she said.
“The issue of the commercial surplus is not a matter born with [Donald] Trump’s presidency; it was an issue often posed by American administrations,” Meloni explained. “In 2023, the trade surplus between Europe and the United States was over 150 billion in favour of Europe – it’s an important figure,” she said, acknowledging the US perspective.
“If we looked at the overall figure, involving for example the theme of trade in services, then there the trade balance would be in favour of the United States by some 100 billion, showing that the economies are complementary and interconnected. So we say that a clash doesn’t benefit anyone,” she added.
On Sunday, during a high-level round table in Al’Ula, Meloni hailed the progress in Italy-Saudi relations, describing them as having reached a new peak.
“We are all aware that the relationship between the Italian and Saudi economic and financial systems has much room for growth: it is in our common interest to make a qualitative leap,” she remarked during her three-day visit to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
“There is huge untapped potential in our cooperation, and this visit can open a completely new phase in our partnership, and that is why we have elevated our bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership,” Meloni said.
She highlighted the importance of the €10 billion in agreements signed, stating, “These constitute platforms on which to build further opportunities together.”
![Amerigo Vespucci, tall ship. Credit: By Harley D. Nygren - NOAA's America's Coastlines Collection, Image ID: corp2248 ([1]), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=735566](https://italynews.online/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1079px-Amerigo_vespucci_1976_nyc_aufgetakelt-1-300x300.jpg "Amerigo Vespucci and Villaggio Italia in Saudi Arabia")
