Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani to Al-Riyadh: We support the Kingdom’s ambition to become a global hub for clean energy

1. Your Excellency, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, welcome to Saudi Arabia. To begin, how would you assess the depth and character of Saudi-Italian relations, which now extend across more than nine decades?

Saudi Arabia is a key partner for Italy in the Gulf, with relations dating back to 1932. In recent years, we have strengthened ties across politics, energy, infrastructure, innovation, culture, and defense. Ministerial exchanges are increasingly frequent, reflecting the depth of our friendship. Over the past year, this bond has grown into a vibrant, forward-looking alliance, united by a shared ambition for stability, sustainable prosperity, and technological excellence. Together, Italy and Saudi Arabia are working to promote a security and growth in the region.

2. What are the key objectives and priorities of your current visit to the Kingdom?

We aim to address both regional and bilateral issues. Together with our Saudi friends, we will discuss the situation in the Middle East, where we share the goal of promoting stability and security, including through close coordination on Gaza. Bilaterally, our cooperation is strong and we want to advance it further. I will meet several Saudi ministers and authorities, as well as Italian and Saudi business leaders, and will participate in the bilateral Business Forum. It will be a huge event: thousands of participants from both sides have already registered. I will also inaugurate the Milan Furniture and Design Fair initiative, celebrating the excellence of Italian and Saudi design. We are grateful to the Saudi Ministry of Culture for their support in making this important event possible

3. High-level exchanges have become a defining feature of the relationship between Riyadh and Rome. To what extent do such reciprocal visits — most recently Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s meeting with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in AlUla — contribute to advancing bilateral ties?

High-level visits reflect the strength and strategic value of our partnership. Prime Minister Meloni’s visit in January was particularly productive, resulting in significant government-to-government agreements and numerous company deals worth about $10 billion. I visited the Kingdom two years ago and I maintain regular contacts with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal, who was recently in Rome. Regular exchanges allow us to set priorities and ensure follow-up. Both countries have great opportunities for cooperation: we invite Saudi companies to explore our market, and we encourage Italian businesses to visit Saudi Arabia to discover new avenues for growth together.

4. Prime Minister Meloni’s visit culminated in the launch of a Strategic Partnership between Saudi Arabia and Italy. How do you expect this framework to shape the future trajectory of relations between the two countries?

The Declaration establishing the Strategic Partnership Council, signed by Prime Minister Meloni and the Crown Prince, is a key milestone. It raises our relationship to a strategic level and provides a solid framework to deepen cooperation in all areas — from political dialogue to investment, manufacturing, energy, defence, tourism and cultural heritage. We are working with our Saudi counterparts on a three-year Action Plan and hope to finalize it soon. The Council assigns a central role to our Foreign Ministers, and Italy is ready to contribute actively.

5. During your time in the Kingdom, how do you view the scale of progress and transformation taking place under Saudi Vision 2030?

We commend Vision 2030 as an ambitious and forward-looking model of diversification rooted in sustainability and long-term planning. Its impact is already clear, especially in renewable energy and urban development, where Saudi Arabia has become one of the most dynamic countries globally. This trajectory naturally creates new opportunities for cooperation with Italy, whose strengths — from advanced manufacturing to energy, infrastructure, culture, design, tourism and technology — align closely with the priorities of Vision 2030.

6. Which economic sectors offer the strongest opportunities for Italy to expand its role within the Saudi market, particularly in support of Vision 2030’s ambitious projects and targets?

Italy is an ideal partner for Vision 2030 across many sectors. We are Europe’s second-largest manufacturing power, with globally recognized leadership ranging from energy and infrastructure to consumer goods and defence. Italian companies are valued for their quality, reliability and capacity to transfer know-how — qualities perfectly suited to the Kingdom’s ambitions.

Our economic ties are growing rapidly. Since the pandemic, bilateral trade has risen by 67%, reaching €10.3 billion in 2024. Italian exports have increased by almost 20% annually, and Italian FDI now stands at €4.5 billion. Saudi Arabia is a priority market in Italy’s export strategy for high-potential non-EU economies, and we see strong alignment with Vision 2030.

For the Riyadh Business Forum, which brings together 480 Italian companies and more than 450 Saudi firms, we identified five areas offering immediate opportunities for collaboration: infrastructure and sustainable transport; healthcare; digital and high technology, including AI and data centers; agritech and water technologies; and the fast-growing creative, cultural and sports industries. Energy and defence remain central pillars of our cooperation, and they will be addressed through dedicated initiatives. 

In the energy field, cooperation is strong and rapidly evolving, keeping pace with new technologies for energy transition. Italy is ready to support Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a leading clean-energy hub through advanced renewables, grid modernization, hydrogen technologies and world-class engineering. Furniture and interior design also offer significant potential. The Saudi market — today worth €6.1 billion and projected to surpass €8 billion by 2030 — strongly matches Italian expertise. Saudi Arabia is already Italy’s second-largest MENA market for furniture, particularly in the premium segment. All these developments point to a clear trajectory: Italy and Saudi Arabia are entering a new phase of cooperation, working side by side across the full spectrum of Vision 2030 priorities.

7. The Italian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Carlo Baldocci, recently highlighted the potential for joint expansion into new markets such as Africa and Asia. How can the Saudi-Italian Strategic Partnership facilitate broader economic outreach in these regions?

The Strategic Partnership allows Italy and Saudi Arabia to look beyond the bilateral dimension and position themselves as partners in broader regions such as Africa and Asia. Both countries can play a key role in the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC): Italy is a natural gateway to Europe, while Saudi Arabia is emerging as a major regional hub. Working together, we can strengthen connectivity and create new routes for goods, energy and digital services.

Africa is also a top priority for Italy through the Mattei Plan, which promotes a peer-to-peer, mutually beneficial approach. We are investing in strategic projects — from the Lobito Corridor to agriculture in the Sahara region — also to position ourselves as an infrastructure, energy and digital bridge linking Europe and Africa. The Kingdom’s growing financial and logistical footprint and Italy’s historical presence in Mediterranean and African markets complement each other. Through joint investments, co-development initiatives and participation in major infrastructure and clean-energy projects, we can help build sustainable value chains across three continents.

The Strategic Partnership provides the framework to coordinate these efforts and align our private sectors around shared opportunities.

8. Beyond economic ties, Saudi Arabia and Italy cooperate across several strategic domains — defence, security, renewable energy, green technology, and tourism. What future developments do you foresee in these areas of collaboration?

Our cooperation is evolving toward greater integration and innovation. In defence and security, Saudi Arabia is investing in building its defence ecosystem, and Italian companies are well positioned to contribute through technology transfer, co-production and advanced training — shifting from procurement to shared capabilities. In renewables and green technologies, Vision 2030’s focus on solar, wind, hydrogen and storage aligns closely with Italian industrial strengths, and we expect more joint ventures, pilot projects and cooperation between research institutions.

Tourism offers significant potential: as the Kingdom opens to global visitors and develops new cultural, natural and archaeological destinations, Italy can contribute its expertise in heritage restoration, hospitality design, tourism planning and territorial branding. Culture and creative industries are also a strong area of growth, as Italian strengths in architecture, fashion, design and the arts resonate with Saudi Arabia’s ambitions. The Business Forum includes a dedicated panel on culture and sports, building on initiatives held in Rome.

Across all these areas, the trend is clear: our partnership is becoming more collaborative, skills-oriented, and focused on long-term capacity building, fully aligned with Vision 2030.

9. Riyadh and Rome share converging positions on many regional and international issues. How can this diplomatic alignment be leveraged to support solutions to pressing political challenges, particularly the Palestinian question?

 We have regular exchange with Saudi Arabia on international and regional issues. We appreciate the balanced approach of the Kingdom. We are working together for to the stability and peace of the entire Middle East region. One central element is of course the Palestinian question. Riyadh and Rome share the commitment to a just, secure, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in the Middle East. With Foreign Minister Prince Faisal we signed a Joint Declaration on Gaza during his visit to Italy on August 28. Over the last two years we enhanced our cooperation to promote a surge of humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip and a path towards the implementation of the two-State solution. Italy has actively participated in the High-Level Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, convened by Saudi Arabia and France in New York. We made a substantial contribution to the Conference and the New York Declaration, by co-chairing the Working Group on Security at Saudi Arabia’s request. The Trump Plan, also endorsed by the Security Council, has have paved the way to explore new forms of concrete cooperation at the benefit of the Palestinian people and the stability of the region. Italy remains fully engaged in the implementation of the Plan and in the humanitarian efforts through the “Food for Gaza” initiative, representing by far the leading Western country in welcoming Palestinian people in need of medical care.