Italy and Saudi Arabia are united by numerous and strong ties that have developed over the decades. In 1932, the two countries signed a Treaty of Friendship that constitutes the origin of their bilateral relations. The celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of Saudi-Italian diplomatic relations provide an opportunity to assess the state of these relations, as well as to advance some proposals as to how the two countries’ mutual cooperation and engagement in the regional and international arenas could be strengthened. The steady development of Saudi-Italian relations over the past 80 years has most recently been affected by the accelerated changes taking place in the Mediterranean region as part of the so-called “Arab Spring”. This region represents a priority for both countries and a significant link between them. Both economic imperatives and a geo-strategic rationale lie behind the increasingly frequent calls for a consolidation of bilateral relations between Italy and the countries of the GCC in general, and Saudi Arabia in particular.

This book wishes to commemorate the outstanding level of engagement between Italy and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a number of domains. It also aims to advance our knowledge of the most promising areas of cooperation, the challenges facing such cooperation and the prospects for future mutual engagement.