From January 25 to 27, the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, conducted an official visit to Saudi Arabia in order to fortify cooperation with the Gulf nations regarding matters of mutual concern. In Al-Ula, Meloni met with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. During the meeting, the two leaders signed a joint declaration raising bilateral relations to strategic partnership and establishing organized cooperation. Among the efforts agreed upon are the formation of a sectoral business forum in the coming months, as well as the start of a process to develop an action plan with shared priorities. During the meeting, they discussed a number of significant global and regional topics, including EU-Gulf Cooperation Council relations. During her visit, the prime minister also visited the Vespucci ship in Jeddah and extended her greetings to the personnel. The training ship made a stop in Saudi Arabia as part of a global tour that began on July 1, 2023, and will end on June 10 after visiting 33 ports in 28 countries across five continents. The Prime Minister also took part in a round table with public and private figures from both nations, where several agreements were made at both the governmental and private levels. These agreements focus on the economic sector and the preservation of cultural heritage. Private sector agreements for partnerships in Africa have also been signed, in accordance with the Mattei Plan. Regarding cultural agreements, Italian Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli stated: “Italy and Saudi Arabia reaffirm their commitment to strengthening bilateral cultural relations through a strategic plan of joint initiatives. This agreement is a substantial step toward the establishment of a constructive and sustainable cultural dialogue that facilitates active collaborations. It starts with a specific training and exchange program with the respective primary museum institutions that are dedicated to landscape archaeology, site restoration and management, and the digital enhancement of sites of archaeological significance". Specifically, two important cultural collaboration agreements were signed between the Directorate General of Museums and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, representing the Italian Ministry of Culture, and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) on behalf of Saudi Arabia. The executive program signed by the Directorate-General for Museums and the RCU intends to promote collaboration in archaeology and cultural heritage conservation. Instead, the collaboration with Pompeii's Archaeological Park focuses on the long-term development of archaeological sites, with a special emphasis on local agricultural traditions as intangible assets.
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