S Arabia announces ‘strategic partnership council’ with Italy

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and visiting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed an agreement on Sunday to strengthen ties, Saudi state media said.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that during their meeting in Al-Ula, a Unesco-listed oasis in the kingdom´s north, the two leaders “addressed relations between Saudi Arabia and Italy, opportunities to strengthen cooperation in various fields, and regional and international developments of mutual interest”.

The crown prince, Saudi Arabia´s de facto ruler, and Meloni “signed an agreement to establish the Saudi-Italian Strategic Partnership Council”, the report said.

An Italian government source said on Saturday that other agreements were expected to be signed, covering various fields including defence, sustainable mobility, energy cooperation and sport, as well as the protection of cultural and archaeological heritage.

Meloni´s trip comes days after a visit to Riyadh by Italy´s environment and energy minister, Gilberto Pichetto, during which he signed an accord aimed at strengthening energy transition and security cooperation.

Meloni heads to Bahrain on Monday, the first visit by an Italian head of government to the country, where she will meet King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa to discuss bilateral cooperation as well as how to tackle illegal immigration, the Italian source said.