Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Qatar on Saturday after visiting Saudi Arabiawhere she met with the country’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP news agency.
- The Persian Gulf is a key source of oil and natural gas for Italy.
- Italy rejects military operations in the area despite pressure from President Trump.
Meloni’s trip to the Persian Gulf, which is the daily target of Iranian missile and drone attacks in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, was not announced to the media in advance. According to the Qatari media, the Prime Minister of Italy “arrived in Doha on Saturday morning for a working visit to the country”. while she was welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Muhammad Chilajwí and the Italian ambassador.
“The purpose of the trip is to strengthen relations with these countries and to reaffirm Italy’s support against Iranian attacks,” an Italian government source told AFP on Friday, adding that the Persian Gulf is a “key source of oil and natural gas” for Italy. Italy is highly dependent on energy imports and is watching the rising prices of these commodities with increasing concern.
Meloni is the first representative of a member country of the European Union or NATO to visit the Persian Gulf since the outbreak of the war on February 28when Iran’s supreme spiritual leader was killed during a wave of US-Israeli attacks. Meloniová, from the extreme right, is among the European leaders who are closest to US President Donald Trump.
However, he insists that Italy does not want to get involved in military operations, although Trump is urging other NATO countries to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which is crucial for the transportation of oil and gas, and which has been virtually closed since the beginning of the war, AFP notes.
