Italian PM arrives in Saudi Arabia for talks

DOHA

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has arrived in capital Riyadh as part of a regional tour, according to the official SPA news agency.

Gentiloni is scheduled to hold talks on Tuesday with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the visit.

Saudi Arabia is a major trade partner to Italy with their trade exchange hit around 7 billion euros last year.

The Italian premier will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar as part of his tour. He had earlier visited India.

The visit comes amid a Gulf crisis triggered in June when four Arab states -- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the and Bahrain -- abruptly severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar.

The four states accuse Qatar of supporting terrorist groups -- allegations Doha strenuously denies.

Reporting by Ahmed by Mahmoud Barakat

DOHA

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni has arrived in capital Riyadh as part of a regional tour, according to the official SPA news agency.

Gentiloni is scheduled to hold talks on Tuesday with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the visit.

Saudi Arabia is a major trade partner to Italy with their trade exchange hit around 7 billion euros last year.

The Italian premier will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar as part of his tour. He had earlier visited India.

The visit comes amid a Gulf crisis triggered in June when four Arab states -- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the and Bahrain -- abruptly severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar.

The four states accuse Qatar of supporting terrorist groups -- allegations Doha strenuously denies.

Reporting by Ahmed by Mahmoud Barakat