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The Kingdom’s oil production capacity and its large oil reserves have motivated many countries to build strong relations with the Kingdom to ensure that their oil supply needs are met in order to cover their energy needs. Thus, this productive capacity and large reserves of oil have given Saudi Shura Council strength in cooperation and dealing with foreign parliaments; it has also made it easy for the Council to join many global and foreign parliamentary unions. Since economics and energy are important elements in political relations, the Shura Council and the Italian Parliament have played a role in executing several trade agreements. A bilateral trade agreement on the avoidance of double taxation on income and capital and the prevention of tax evasion was approved and signed by the Saudi and Italian sides in Riyadh on 13 January 2007.
Cooperation between the Shura Council and the Italian Parliament has facilitated the participation of Italian and Saudi businessmen and investors in projects in both countries. Italian investors have participated in 54 joint investment projects in the Kingdom in the ields of construction, industry and services. To facilitate investment, a convention on the protection and promotion of investment between the two countries was signed during a visit of the Italian Foreign Minister, Lamberto Dini, in September 1996 (resolution No. 30/32/17). The Shura Council, as an increasingly important legislative institution in Saudi Arabia, has actively cooperated with the Italian Parliament in economic, political and social affairs. The results of such collaboration have been impressively fruitful. A memorandum of understanding and cooperation in the parliamentary and diplomatic ields is due for signature soon by the Shura Council and the Italian senate. It was drafted by the heads of the two councils following an of icial friendship visit headed by HE Dr.
Abdulla Al-AlShaikh, President of Saudi Shura Council.
Regarding sustainable energy, the economic and energy affairs committee of the Shura Council is working on the establishment by Saudi Arabia of alternative energy sources. This can be only achieved through bene iting from other countries’ experience in this ield. One possible alternative energy source is renewable energy. The economic and energy affairs committee would really bene it from Italy’s energy
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research, and hopes these plans would result in sustainable energy projects in the Kingdom.
Furthermore, the global inancial crisis was discussed in meetings between members of the Shura Council and the Italian Parliament to reduce its effects on the two economies and promote investment opportunities in both countries.
Since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a special in luence in the Arab world and a prominent position among Muslim countries and those with Muslim minorities, on the one hand, and holds an important economic status in the rest of the world, on the other, it can play an intermediary role between East and West. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, initiated a dialogue among religions and cultures.
His initiative was crowned by the historical summit between his Majesty and the Pope of the Vatican on 7 November 2007 during a visit to the Republic of Italy. To promote this dialogue in practical terms, His Majesty has also established the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, known as KAICIID, which was inaugurated on 26 November 2012.8 The Government of Austria as well as the Government of Spain are supportive of this very important initiative.
Another step taken by the Saudi government to create paths for communication among cultures was the establishment of the King Abdul Aziz Center for Islamic Sciences Studies in the city of Bologna. Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the late Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, inaugurated the centre on 17 January 2000. This centre is believed to present various aspects of Islam and Muslim communities through research and intensive studies. The Shura Council and the Italian Parliament are fully aware of these efforts, and are playing a major role in achieving the goal of mutual cooperation. Through the mutual visits between members of Shura Council and the Italian Parliament, the Shura Council tries to contribute to approximation and dialogue among cultures.
Sincere efforts are carried out to achieve this goal, with a future plan to include the youth in such initiatives and gatherings.
His Majesty’s belief that dialogue is the best means of communication and understanding not only within the international community, but also within Saudi society, led to the establishment of a national dialogue
8 See the chapter by Bin Muammar in this volume.
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centre in Riyadh that invites various segments of Saudi society to discuss the challenges facing the country as it moves further into development and increasingly needs to meet the needs of its growing population. This is especially important since Saudi society has been through many rapid changes that expedited the need for development in Saudi Arabia. More than 60 percent of Saudis are young people under the age of 30, who want their voice to be heard and represented in government institutions;
hence, one of the Shura Council work mechanisms for communication with citizens is receiving citizens’ complaints, suggestions, and recommendations. Through its multiple committees, the Shura Council works on suggestions, visions, and grievances to ensure effective recommendations and solutions for such issues.
The Shura Council supports the kingdom’s efforts to resolve international and humanitarian problems in the global community in general. With regard to the Palestinian issue in particular, it seeks to promote justice and equality. Within this context, Italy has been a positive partner in its understanding and promotion of justice and equality globally. We believe that cooperation and coordination between Saudi Arabia and Italy through the Italian Parliament and the Saudi Shura Council would add to international efforts to ensure security and stability for the international community.
The prominent status of Saudi Arabia in the international community politically, geographically and economically, besides Italy’s economic and political role in the European Union, has strengthened the need for Saudi-Italian cooperation. Furthermore, the similarities of policies between the two countries in many issues have reinforced the importance of coherence and the establishment of close relationships between the two countries. This has resulted in many visits between of icials at the highest levels in both countries,9 as well as the signing of a series of agreements
9 These visits are as follows:
King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz visited Italy on 14 June 1973.
King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz visited Italy in May 1980.
Italian Prime Minister, Bettino Craxi, visited Saudi Arabia in November 1984.
Italian Prime Minister, Giulio Andreotti, visited Saudi Arabia in June 1991.
Italian President, Oscar Luigi, visited Saudi Arabia in September 1997.
The Saudi Minister of Aviation and Defense visited Italy in 1997.
Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, visited Saudi Arabia in March 2002.
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Shura Council visited Italy on 12-21 November 2005.
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and memoranda of understanding which serve the interests of the two countries.10 These visits were excellent opportunities for tackling international problems and issues and clarifying mutual policies and positions.
Turmoil and instability in some Arab countries following the Arab Spring, the threat of terrorism and political con lict in the region have meant that it is necessary to ensure social, political and economic stability in the Gulf region. Delegations from both sides discussed these issues and coordinated memoranda of understanding and agreements between the two countries, represented by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Ministries of the Interior.
The Kingdom’s attempt to update its systems in response to the rapid changes in Saudi society, and its movement towards a democratic community that involves all citizens in the process of decision-making, have led the Shura Council to seriously reconsider and update its mechanisms and mandate in order to serve the community and to enhance the performance of government institutions and agencies, especially in laws and policies in ields related to education, training, labour, economic transactions and citizens’ rights. It also promotes laws and systems for
ighting corruption.
Although ten decades have passed since the Saudi Shura Council’s establishment, it still strives to develop its system, working mechanisms and mandate through the study of projects, regulations and reports. In addition, it communicates with international parliaments and studies their systems and mechanisms of action. It has set for itself a plan to ensure the representation of Saudi society through dialogue with communities and citizens, taking into consideration the diversity of the cultures and managerial provinces in the Kingdom, in order to be a voice for citizens and to build modern systems of governance.
The Shura Council works hard to bring its working mechanisms and powers in line with the Parliaments of the developed world, taking into
The Italian Ambassador visited the Shura Council on 21 October 2008.
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Italian Senate, Senator Lamberto Dini, visited the Shura Council from 6 to 9 February 2009.
The Italian Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, visited the ShuraCouncil on 14 October 2009.
10 A memorandum of understanding in the ield of healthcare was signed in Rome on 6 November 2007 by the Ministries of Health of Saudi Arabia and Italy.
PARLIAMENTARY RELATIONSBETWEEN SAUDI ARABIAAND ITALY
account the diversity of these Parliaments in the representation of their communities. To achieve this, a number of visits have been organized between the two parliaments. The President of the Italian Parliament visited the Kingdom to attend the Parliamentary Summit of the G20 on 29 December 2011. A delegation of the Shura Council, headed by H.E. the late Sheikh Mohammed bin Jubair, visited the Republic of Italy during the period from 8 to 13 June 1997 in order to establish strong ties with the Italian Parliament and study its mechanisms of action. Also, a delegation of the Italian Parliament, headed by Luciano Violante, visited the Shura Council during the period from 9 to 11 May 1999, where he learned about the council’s internal by-laws and powers; in addition, more visits, coordinated by the Saudi-Italian Parliamentary Friendship Committee, took place.11 In the process of developing the Parliamentary practices of the Shura Council, Gianni de Michelis, former Italian Foreign Minister and former Member of the European Parliament, was invited by the Saudi-Italian Parliamentary Friendship Committee to the Shura Council from 15 to 18 November 2009, accompanied by a delegation of businessmen and experts in international politics.