ROME: The Saudi Embassy in Rome is planning a number of initiatives in the coming months to mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom and Italy. The initiatives were outlined to the secretary-general of Italy’s Foreign Ministry, Ettore Sequi, by Saudi Ambassador Faisal bin Sattam Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The two countries’ “excellent bilateral relations,” and how they could be “further expanded and developed,” took center stage during a long meeting at Farnesina Palace between the two diplomats, a source in the Italian Foreign Ministry told Arab News. During his visit to Riyadh in June, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Italy would organize celebratory events later this year to mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. He added that 2022 “marks a very important anniversary in our longstanding friendship.”