“We signed the contract recently as part of our efforts to further improve our services to the visa seekers,” Italian Consul General Simone Petroni said at a ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the Italian Republic held in Jeddah over the weekend.
“We have done this after being convinced that we have to be as close as possible to their needs.”
Muhammad A. Tayeb, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Makkah province who was also the chief guest, called for stronger bilateral ties.
“We consider Italy as a trade partner and also as a friend and political partner, and we believe there is still room for developing our bilateral ties.”
A large number of officials, businessmen and members of the Italian community were present at the celebration, which was also marked by a cultural program.
Petroni also announced the opening of an exhibition on homes of important Italians, personalities that eventually became museums at the Italian Cultural Center.
The show ends on June 10.
Petroni recalled that after the war, following the constitutional referendum, the republic was formed on June 2, 1946. The date is therefore a crucial moment in Italian contemporary history and the country’s National Day.
“The day also marks the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy,” Petroni said. “It was 150 years ago our country was declared a united nation-state under the Savoy King Vittorio Emanuele II. The movement to unite Italy into one cultural and political entity is known as the ‘Risorgimento’ (resurgence).”
Italy in fact continued the ancient tradition of relations between the Italian peninsula and the Orient, he said, mentioning that in 2010 there was a 31 percent growth in trade between Italy and Saudi Arabia, compared to 2009.
In November 2010, an Italian business mission led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini and Minister of Economic Development Paolo Romani, visited Saudi Arabia, aiming to establish and tighten long-term business relations with their Saudi counterparts.
“Today, Italy and Saudi Arabia are convinced that the basis of international stability lies in dialogue and multilateralism under the auspices of international institutions,” Petroni added.
“Both Saudi Arabia and Italy agree on the crucial issue of global economic governance,” he added.
