Saudi Arabia: Gentiloni , modernization an unmissable opportunity
Riyad - An unmissable opportunity, for Italy, is the modernization process just started in Saudi Arabia, which promises potentially unlimited openings. This is the prime objective of the Italian government, and reason why the Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, has visited Riyad on 31 October, meeting ministers for transport, energy, trade and investments, as well as the President of the Kingdom's General Authority for Entertainment. He is also expected to meet King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. MBS, as he is known in Riyad, launched a number of reforms, beginning with enabling women to drive, and proceeding to reduce the power of the religious police, with a view to opening the country to the outside world. "It is a very important context, because the project developed by the Saudi leadership is one of the most ambitious in the world, and it is linked to the leadership of the young Crown Prince who has proposed his Vision 2030 over a year ago", explained Gentiloni. "A project of modernization for the country that has implications for its customs and for women's rights. A project for the creation of an industrial base that will finally overcome the country's dependency on oil revenues, not because the Saudi Kingdom has limited" oil stocks, "but because they want to create a local industry with Small and Medium Enterprises operating in fields like culture and entertainment. The third issue is about opening their markets, starting with Aramco, they are placing key assets on the market. Such an ambitious project can only be of great interest for Italy, of which Saudi Arabia is a key partner. Collaborations with Eni, Sapienza and Tenaris date back over a decade", the Prime Minister recalled, "and we have been active in the transport domain, with the underground network and the roads, through Salini, Ansaldo and Ferrovie. We need to tune our historical friendship with this peak in modernization, as this Kingdom could become the most important in the world within the next twenty or thirty years, and considering our country's current strong ties - as they say, being 'the closest country' - it would be a real mistake to be left out". It would be a great opportunity to be part of it. It is a bet on the future of this country, with its huge assets and great possibilities". The journey will continue with visits to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. "There is a regional dimension: these countries' relations with Italy are part of our national interest: they are all significant actors. The push for modernization in Saudi Arabia is something that our country cannot ignore", concluded Gentiloni.
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