Italy’s Berlusconi ties with the Arab world through the years

The former prime minister was a charismatic statesman who sought to elevate Italy on the world stage

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi reviews a detachment of Italian soldiers in Nasiriyah, Iraq, in April 2004 during a surprise visit to Italian troops. AFP

Mr Berlusconi, centre, stands solemnly after laying a wreath at the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem in 2010. AFP

Mr Berlusconi, left, shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Bethlehem in February 2010. AFP

Former Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, right, welcomes Mr Berlusconi for a two-day visit aimed at boosting economic ties between the two countries, in June 2002. AFP

Jordan's King Abdullah II, left, laughs as he listens to Mr Berlusconi during their meeting at the royal palace in Amman, in June 2003. AFP

Mr Berlusconi is welcomed by former Tunisian presidential adviser Abdelaziz Ben Dhia, right, in Tunis in November 2001. It was his first official visit to a Muslim country after he said the West 'should be confident of the superiority of our civilization'. AFP

Mr Berlusconi, left, is greeted during a stopover at Kuwait airport in April 2004 after visiting Italian troops at their base in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. AFP

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak shakes hands with Mr Berlusconi in Cairo in June 2003. Mr Berlusconi urged Israel to show 'greater wisdom' after its failed attempt to assassinate a radical Palestinian leader. AFP

Mr Berlusconi meets Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the Islamist-based party set to form a new government in in Turkey, during his visit to Rome in November 2002. AFP

Former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali greets Mr Berlusconi at the presidential palace in Tunis in November 2001. AFP

Mr Berlusconi welcomes Jordan's King Abdullah in Rome in October 2001. AFP

Former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi meets Mr Berlusconi in a tent in Sirte in June 2008. Mr Berlusconi was seeking a deal to stop thousands of illegal immigrants from reaching Italian shores. AFP

The late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz decorates Mr Berlusconi with the King Abdul Aziz medal during a meeting in Jeddah in November 2009. AFP

Former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali greets Mr Berlusconi on his arrival in August 2009 at the presidential palace in Tunis. AFP

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Mr Berlusconi, left, and director of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo Wafaa Elsaddik visit the Egyptian Academy in Rome, in September 2010. AFP

Mr Mubarak, right, speaks with the director of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, next to Mr Berlusconi, during their visit at the Egyptian Academy in Rome. AFP

Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s longest-serving prime minister, died on Monday. He was 86.

Mr Berlusconi was admitted to the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan on Friday, his second hospital admission in months for treatment of chronic leukaemia. He also suffered over the years from heart ailments, prostate cancer and Covid-19 in 2020.

He was a charismatic statesman who sought to elevate Italy on the world stage and he forged relationships with many leaders of the Arab world.

His first visit to the region took place during his second term in office when he embarked on a regional tour of Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan, in 2002.

He would later visit Libya in 2008, where he signed a historic co-operation treaty with the late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi in Benghazi. Rome pledged to pay $5 billion to Libya as compensation for its former military occupation.

Mr Berlusconi caused an outcry in the Muslim world in October 2002 when he said the West “should be conscious of the superiority of our civilisation.”

He said while the West has a value system “that has given people widespread prosperity in those countries that embrace it, and guarantees respect for human rights and religion … This respect certainly does not exist in the Islamic countries.”

During his time in office, Mr Berlusconi paid a two-day visit to Jeddah in November 2009 when he met the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. During the visit, he described Saudi Arabia as an “important force for stability in the region”.

Mr Berlusconi also forged a strong relationship with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and was one of the early supporters of Turkey's application to join the EU.

When it came to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Mr Berlusconi was a staunch supporter of Israel and endorsed Israel's plan for a demilitarised Palestinian state as a solution to the decades-old Middle East conflict.