A growing partnership: towards the Italy-Saudi Arabia Business Forum in Riyadh

On 25th and 26th November, Riyadh will host the Italy-Saudi Arabia Business Forum, a milestone in strengthening economic, commercial and industrial ties between our two countries. Last January, Italy and Saudi Arabia marked a turning point in their relations. The historic visit to the Kingdom by the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman represented the ideal context to set a new strategic partnership, thus elevating the level of our bilateral ties. On that occasion, a high-level round table was held in AlUla, leading to the signature of over thirty agreements mobilizing a total amount of over €10 billion.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, will travel to Riyadh at the end of the month with over 500 Italian representatives (among companies and institutions) to take part in the Business Forum. This is a concrete follow-up to the AlUla initiative and confirms the strong interest of Italian operators in the Saudi market and the potential collaborations that the Kingdom can offer, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

The Forum, co-organized with the Saudi Ministry of Investment, will begin on 25th November at the Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah Hotel and will include five in-depth panels dedicated to priority areas of bilateral cooperation, thus covering:

1- Infrastructure, Automotive, Sustainable Transportation, Construction and Furniture;

2- Pharmaceutical-Medical, Health and Life Sciences;

3- High Technology (Digital, AI, Data Centers, Telecommunications, Semiconductors);

4- Agritech (Agricultural Machinery, Agricultural Technologies, Water Treatment) and the Agro-industry;

5- Culture and Sports Industry.

A key part of the day will be a session of B2B meetings between Italian and Saudi economic operators to promote discussion and mutual understanding, and explore potential opportunities for collaboration.  This will be followed by two methodological ‘country orientation’ round tables. The conclusion will consist of a plenary session featuring speeches by the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, and the Saudi Minister of Investment, Khalid A. Al-Falih, and of a moment to highlight agreements/MoUs reached between Italian and Saudi stakeholders.

The 26th November will instead feature site visits to a number of mega and giga projects, allowing Italian companies to introduce themselves and learn more about these projects, their progress, and the opportunities they offer.

At a historic moment for the relations between Italy and Saudi Arabia, the Business Forum represents a meeting between two dynamic economies and two complementary business cultures. In a rapidly changing global context, our two countries share a vision of a future based on innovation, sustainability, know-how and economic diversification, while remaining aware of our roots and heritage. The Forum will therefore offer a privileged platform to consolidate mutually beneficial partnerships, promote Italian and Saudi excellence, and contribute together to the objectives of the Vision 2030