Thread by @Cinzia_Bianco

#SaudiArabia FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan has been quite busy these days! Today in #Italy, right after #Cyprus and, before, a North Africa tour. On geopolitics, Riyadh and Rome have two major things to talk about: #Libya and #EastMed. Both have to do with #Turkey.

https://twitter.com/FaisalbinFarhan/status/1291709415813459968

#Italy and #SaudiArabia do not traditionally have an in-depth, serious geopolitical engagement. This is for many reasons, many of which are common to other continental #Europe-an countries, excluding #France. I have analysed those in my @ECFRMena paper: ecfr.eu/publications/s…

This same paper is part of a wider effort, done within @ECFRMena, to provide ideas to the #EU and #Europe-an countries on how to engage geopolitically w/#GCC monarchies, who are now impactful players in the entire #MENA, including the #Mediterranean. ecfr.eu/publications/s…

This work has continued throughout #COVID19 and will see new projects after #summer and in preparation of the #US presidential elections.

You may have noticed #SaudiArabia FM also spoke via phone w/counterparts in #Spain & #Norway. I will speculate here and say those phone calls were of a different focus.

#Spain's former King Juan Carlos I this week announced self-exile in response to corruption enquiry involving him, #SaudiArabia and the #Makkah high-speed railway (2009!) Juan Carlos was allegedly offered hospitality in KSA but turned up in #UAE instead (may be on vacation!)

Thanks to @solerlecha for the clarification! It seems #Spain may also be getting pretty active on the #EastMed /#Turkey dossier:

https://twitter.com/solerlecha/status/1291735734458687488?s=19