Meloni garners 10 billion euro agreement with Saudi Arabia

ROME – The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has been in Saudi Arabia since Saturday has met with Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Al-Ula desert and rounded off her trip with a 10-billion-euro agreement with the country, Palazzo Chigi has said.
Meloni’s previous judgements about the nation, in the past had not been so positive, however, she brought her daughter, Ginevra with her on the plane and sat amongst the cushions and rugs as she sat in the UNSECO world heritage site with the prince.
Tensions did not appear to be high as he commented that she had ‘brought the nice weather’ with her.
The Prime Minister was on a mission to improve relations between Rome and Riad in a show of pragmatism.
“We can enter a completely new phase in the partnership between Italy and Arabia” Meloni said to the Saudi delegation.
The relationship would be bilateral and ‘a strategic partnership’ and most importantly was agreed to be for ten-billion-euros.
The figure, for the Prime Minister gives “an idea of the extraordinary leap that we are committed to work together’ on defence, energy, research, sports and culture, and tourism.
Meloni was opening on Monday the ‘Italian Village’ on the Red Sea and will return to Rome on Thursday where it will be decided whether the National pension scheme scam case will remain in Milan or be passed along to Rome.
Of the circa ten-billion-euro given in the deal, a large sum (6.6 billion) will fall under the umbrella of S.A.C.E., which is the Italian insurance-financial group specialising in supporting businesses, industries and the Italian economic tapestry.
The Italian delegate also announced a partnership with a Saudi research centre in which they will share their ‘know-how’ on naval technology.
Marco Tronchetti Provera, CEO of Pirelli, the multi-national tyre manufacturer, will open an on-site location in a joint-venture to produce three and a half million tires per year.
Roberto Cingolani, CEO of Leonardo, the Italian aerospace company, talks of the ‘concrete’ interest the Saudis have in entering the G.C.A.P. group, which is the Italian, British and Japanese programme to design a sixth-generation fighter jet, even if they start with just an agreement on helicopters and patrol crafts.
Despite Meloni’s previous comments that Saudi Arabia was a ‘fundamentalist Regime’, she appears to be pushing for Saudi Arabia to join the G.C.A.P. group and has been strengthening ties between the two nations.
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