Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has landed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
By Bernie,
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has landed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in a previously unannounced trip that will include meetings with leaders in the UAE and Qatar over two days. It is the first visit by a Western leader to the Gulf region since the start of the Iran war on February 28.
Government sources say the visit is aimed at reaffirming Italy's support for the three Gulf nations in the face of Iranian attacks on their territories and at bolstering Italy's energy security through closer engagement with Gulf producers. Italy generates more than 40 percent of its electricity from natural gas and has been scrambling to replace lost LNG supplies from Qatar, which shut down production after repeated Iranian strikes on its main gas facility at Ras Laffan.
Italy has taken a careful position in the conflict, with Meloni telling the Senate earlier this month that Italy "does not take part and does not intend to take part" in the U.S.-Israeli strikes, while describing the operation as having been conducted "outside the framework of international law." At the same time, Rome has deployed air defense assets to Gulf countries, sent a naval unit to Cyprus after Iranian strikes hit the island, and has approximately 2,000 Italian soldiers stationed in the region.
Topics: Iran, IDF, Israeli Politics
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