Croatia's President Zoran Milanović re-elected by a landslide in run-off    Saudi Arabia offers new benefits to importers and exporters    Saudi-American talks to enhance defense cooperation    Zelensky offers exchange of North Korean soldiers    South Korea's impeached president gets pay rise    Meghan Netflix show delayed over LA wildfires    LA fires death toll rises to 24 as high winds expected    Justice minister discusses ways to enhance cooperation with UN Resident Coordinator    Saudi FM meets his British, German counterparts in Riyadh    Al Ittihad held to 1-1 draw by Al Fayha, lose Saudi League top spot    Al Orobah sign Saudi Pro League's all-time top scorer Omar Al Somah    Al Hilal thrash Al Orobah 5-0 to reclaim Roshn Saudi League top spot    Al-Falih: 571 global companies moved their headquarters to Saudi Arabia    Saudi FM: Continuing sanctions will obstruct Syrian people's development ambitions Top Arab, Western diplomats discuss on supporting Syria and lifting sanctions    Almarai successfully deploys SAP solutions to power strategic expansion Seamless implementation via RISE with SAP on Google Cloud supports company's SR18 billion growth plan    Over 16 million people visit Riyadh Season in 3 months    Al-Ahli defeats Al-Shabab 3-2 in Saudi Pro League thriller    SFDA warns of potential risks associated with high doses of Ginseng    Oscar nominations postponed because of LA fires    Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 to witness first-ever display of full kiswah of Kaaba outside Makkah city    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    









Italy and Saudi Arabia looking to the future
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 11 - 10 - 2013

Saudi and Italian academics pose for a group photo at the end of a conference on “Art and Literature in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” that was held at University “La Sapienza” in Rome on the occasion of the celebrations of 80 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Saudi Arabia. — SG photo
Roberta Fedele
Saudi Gazette


JEDDAH — Eighty years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Saudi Arabia were celebrated in Rome between October 1 and 5 with a number of cultural and institutional events, including academic conferences, students' meetings, exhibitions and dialogue forums on economy, culture, health, science and security issues.
On this special occasion, one of the most important Saudi delegation that ever reached Italy was present in Rome headed by Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Saudi Minister of Culture and Information Abdulaziz bin Mohiuddin Khoja.
The delegation also comprised two vice ministers and high level entrepreneurs who held a long series of meetings with their Italian counterparts and took part in a special Saudi-Italian Forum at Villa Madama in the presence of Prince Saud and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Emma Bonino.
Bonino stressed the need to expand the investment sector not confining cooperation to the classical petrochemical and infrastructure fields. “In these days, Italy has launched ‘Destination Italy,' an ambitious program to attract investments. New frontiers need to be explored. These include green economy, biomedical and, more in general, ‘the economy of knowledge'.”
Other priorities discussed during the Forum concerned the intensification of cultural synergies in the archaeological, artistic, academic, scientific and technological fields.
“Training and research constitute the richness of the ‘wells' of knowledge that will have to be ‘extracted' by the future generations,” Bonino said.
Prince Saud insisted on the importance of cultural exchange for the future of international dialogue and emphasized Italy's historical role as a cultural bridge between the West and the Arab world.
In line with their purposes, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cultural cooperation and a partnership between the Centre for Information and Studies of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Institute of Foreign Affairs (IAI).
The celebrations for 80 years of Saudi-Italian diplomatic relations were not only conceived in the spirit of building inter-religious, business-to-business and government-to-government dialogue platforms but also as a way of favoring a people-to-people dialogue.
For this purpose, an interactive pavilion was set up in “Piazza del Popolo” (a famous square in Rome) to shed light on the history, arts, folklore, gastronomy and traditions of Saudi Arabia.
Italian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lapo Pistelli said at the pavilion's inauguration on Oct 1: “Today Saudi Arabia comes to Italy with a new image which inspires curiosity and we hope can bring as many people as possible to deepen their knowledge about this country.
“Attending this one week of events will give the opportunity to directly observe the culture and folkloristic traditions of the Kingdom, our close partner in the common path through history and in the future of the so-called extended Mediterranean area.
“Italy and Saudi Arabia share today a responsibility for the prosperity and the stability of our common region. Both countries, with different modulations but with a growing convergence, know that the international stability must necessarily be based on dialogue, multilateralism, integration and regional cooperation.”
The pavilion consisted of a large central hall with a huge screen showing the main phases of the Kingdom's political and economic development together with stunning images of Saudi Arabia's main cities, natural landscapes, archeological heritage, modern constructions and new infrastructure projects.
On this striking background, Saudi artists performed traditional dances and music from different Saudi regions involving an enthusiast public in their performances.
“Our idea of Saudi Arabia,” said a group of university students from the public, “was very vague and basically associated to desert sceneries and Islamic traditions.
“We were surprised to learn about the incredible urban development of modern Saudi Arabia, its cultural and natural richness and capacity to find a balance between tradition and modernity.
“And what we liked the most,” added the group, “was being unexpectedly involved in exotic dances and observing arts and crafts that are very distant from our culture.”
In the pavilion's lateral halls, Saudi staff, professional calligraphers and henna artists were at the disposal of the public who enjoyed eating fresh dates, receiving henna applications and personalized calligraphic inscriptions.
The pavilion also displayed scale models of Makkah and Madinah, an Arab calligraphic art exhibition and Saudi traditional customs.
Rich in shows, arts and colors the pavilion was dismantled on October 5. However, a touch of Saudi spirit and culture will continue to be on display in Rome for one more month through an exhibition entitled “Discovering Saudi Arabia: the land of dialogue and culture.”
Inaugurated by Prince Saud and the Mayor of Rome Ignazio Marini on October 3, the exhibition proposes an excursus on the precious archeological heritage of the Kingdom and will be open to the public until November 30.


Clic here to read the story from its source.