Italy is committed to Vision 2030

Over the last 85 years, since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, Italy and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed a close friendship that has continued to grow from strength to strength. I took over my position as Italian ambassador in Riyadh over a year ago, and I have been able to witness the extent and depth of the political, economic and social ties between our two nations and peoples.

Bilateral exchange of visits has visibly accelerated over the past year. After the landmark visit last June of then-Foreign Minister (now Prime Minister) Paolo Gentiloni, Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti and then-Interior Minister Angelino Alfano also came to the Kingdom, followed by the most recent mission by Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Vincenzo Amendola in March.

On the Saudi side, Assistant Defense Minister Mohammad Al-Ayeesh and a delegation of the Shoura Council visited Italy in November 2016. Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir was in Rome in February for discussions with his Italian counterpart and the prime minister. Al-Jubeir returned to Italy for a multilateral consultation on Syria with regional partners and G-7 foreign ministers.

This intense program of mutual visits has strengthened bilateral cooperation on many crucial issues, including regional crises, human rights, defense, trade and investment. Economic partnership between Italy and Saudi Arabia is incredibly strong.

Despite a decrease in our trade balance from €8.4 billion ($9.4 billion) in 2015 to €6.7 billion in 2016 due to general economic circumstances, Italy is still one of the Kingdom’s three largest trade partners in the EU.

More than 70 Italian companies are present in Saudi Arabia and contribute to its development in a wide range of sectors, from energy to ceramics and luxury goods, including key infrastructure projects such as the new Riyadh Metro and the Saudi Landbridge rail link between Jeddah and Jubail.

More than 1 million Saudis visit Italy every year for tourism and business. They are able to enjoy Italy’s beauty, hospitality, fashion, art and food. More than 1,000 Saudi students have studied or study in Italian universities. Italian archaeologists have been working for a good part of the last decade in Dumat Al-Jandal to uncover and preserve an important piece of Saudi pre-Islamic and Islamic cultural heritage.

Such close and intense bilateral relations should not surprise us. At the center of the Mediterranean and Gulf regions, Italy and Saudi Arabia enjoy centuries of common cultural, political and economic exchanges. Islam reached Europe from the Arabian Peninsula, and the signs of its presence are still visible today in Italy, notably in Sicily.

Italians have always reached out to Arab and Muslim communities in the southern Mediterranean, with the firm belief that we share a common destiny. What happens in the region is relevant to our security and prosperity. Saudi Arabia, being the country of the Two Holy Mosques and at the heart of the Sunni Ummah, is an essential partner in this endeavor.

Italy is strongly committed to working together to address the multiple crises affecting our region (from Libya to Syria and Yemen), supporting political solutions that can bring peace and prosperity to the nations of our common neighborhood.

Italy looks with great interest at the unprecedented program of economic and social reforms enshrined in Vision 2030. Economic diversification and reduced oil dependence is a necessity, but also an opportunity to exploit the full wealth of this country, including the entrepreneurial spirit of its people.

A young and highly qualified generation of Saudis is ready to forge its own future and demand decent jobs, proper housing and a new way of living that respect traditions while matching their expectations. Women, thanks to reforms first enacted in the 1960s, are now in a position to fully contribute to the development of the country. I am convinced that their full empowerment will be instrumental for the success of Vision 2030.

We all face the complexities of living in a fast-paced and globalized world, and are under increasing pressure to change in order to respond to modernity. Over the last 80 years, the Kingdom has undergone remarkable changes, and more recently it has demonstrated that it has the resources and political will to continue to do so. The successful implementation of Vision 2030 is a priority for Saudi Arabia, but it is also in our common interest.

Italy stands beside the Kingdom, today more than ever, and is strongly committed, in a spirit of partnership and true friendship, to contributing to the success of Vision 2030. I am particularly glad to be able to witness first-hand this new historic phase in bilateral relations.

As the representative of the government and people of Italy in Saudi Arabia, I will work relentlessly toward this goal. That is my mandate, and that is the promise I made to King Salman when I first had the honor of conferring with him a little over a year ago.

• A career diplomat, Luca Ferrari is ambassador of Italy to Saudi Arabia in Riyadh.