Second day of the mission to Saudi Arabia for the Undersecretary of State Vincenzo Amendola, who is currently on a visit to Jeddah. Mr Amendola, along with the Italian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Luca Ferrari, met with the Governor of Jeddah, Prince Mishaal bin Majid, this morning. Their talks focused on the crises in the Middle East area, and on the economic, commercial and industrial relations between the two countries. Following the talks, the Undersecretary met with a group of qualified Saudi entrepreneurs at Jeddah’s Chamber of Commerce. “Saudi Arabia has the potential to become an international hub and a strategic liason between Asia and Europe, thanks to the opportunities stemming from the future implementation of ‘Vision 2030’,” said Mr Amendola.
Ambassador Ferrari underlined that “our countries are the ideal partners within a cooperation framework, based on the sharing of best practices, technology transfer, training and investments.”The idea of revamping the Saudi-Italian Business Council and convening the Joint Commission in Rome before next summer is a major step forward and part of a strategy to promote Italy’s already strong economic relations.During the meeting, Saudi entrepreneurs were briefed on the economic and trade opportunities that Italy’s cultural and economic promotion and innovation can offer to Saudi investors.In the afternoon, Mr Amendola went to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and underlined the importance of working together to foster a dialogue -in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) areas of crisis- with no external interference in order to guarantee these countries a full ownership of the process. During the talks, Italy highlighted some initiatives it is carrying out to foster a dialogue with Muslim communities, which focuses on shared values and mutual respect.
Lastly, the Undersecretary of State met with the President of the Center for Middle East Studies, General Anwar Eshk.
