How Giorgia Meloni is repositioning Rome in the Arabian Peninsula and the Wider Mediterranean
Italy is rapidly upgrading its strategic posture in the Gulf. What began as a sequence of bilateral engagements has evolved into a structured regional strategy, culminating in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s invitation to attend the 46th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Bahrain — an opportunity granted only to a handful of external leaders in the past decade. The move signals that Rome is no longer viewed merely as a sectoral partner but as a potential regional interlocutor with relevance across energy, connectivity and security.
A Three-Year Diplomatic Reorientation
Meloni’s government has intensified high-level diplomacy across the Arabian Peninsula, prioritising continuity over episodic missions. In under three years, Italy has established a sustained presence in Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman — while hosting multiple Gulf heads of state in Rome. This leader-driven diplomacy has produced concrete results:
- Strategic partnerships with the UAE and Saudi Arabia
- New investment frameworks with Qatar and Bahrain
- A forthcoming Italy–GCC cooperation agreement
- Expanded defence and industrial cooperation, including co-production projects with Bahrain’s ASRY and technology localisation through Italian firms such as Roboze
This engagement is part of a broader effort to reshape Italy’s standing in the Enlarged Mediterranean and connect it more directly with the Arabian Peninsula’s transformation agendas.
From Bilateral Deals to Regional Strategy
Meloni’s visits to Bahrain highlight Italy’s transition from transactional diplomacy to long-term strategic positioning.
- Bahrain is consolidating its industrial partnerships with Italy, especially in defence and maritime technologies, while deepening dialogue on Middle East stabilisation and the war in Ukraine.
- Oman remains a crucial actor in regional mediation, and Rome acknowledges Muscat’s diplomatic weight, particularly on the Iran nuclear file and Red Sea security.
- Kuwait and Italy share strong defence ties and expanding investment flows, anchoring a durable economic relationship.
Across all three, Italy presents itself as a stable partner aligned with Gulf development plans and committed to shared security concerns.
GCC Dynamics and Italy’s New Role
The GCC Summit invitation is politically significant: it allows Italy to observe internal deliberations within a system that increasingly shapes the political economy of the Middle East, Africa and the Indian Ocean. Gulf states are reassessing their global role, diversifying partnerships and investing heavily in connectivity across three continents. Italy, through its Mattei Plan for Africa and its renewed Mediterranean strategy, positions itself as a bridge between Europe, the Gulf and Africa.
This approach aligns Italy with key Gulf priorities:
- Maritime security and Red Sea stability
- Development finance in Africa
- Energy transition through technological neutrality
- Regional de-escalation and dialogue mechanisms
- Major connectivity schemes such as the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor (IMEC)
Rome is presenting itself as a credible European partner able to combine diplomatic access, industrial capabilities and a strong maritime orientation.
Security, Connectivity and the Mattei Plan
Italy’s strategic message to the Gulf emphasises an interconnected space stretching from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific. Meloni highlights the IMEC corridor as a transformational spine linking Indian manufacturing, Gulf logistics and European markets. In parallel, the Mattei Plan provides a framework for joint investments in Africa, where Gulf sovereign funds and development institutions are increasingly active.
This trilateral logic — Europe–Gulf–Africa — is emerging as the backbone of Italy’s foreign policy in the region. Defence cooperation, maritime domain awareness, energy diversification and industrial partnerships support this architecture.
The Road Ahead: Italy as a Mediterranean Connector
Meloni frames Italy as both an ancient and forward-looking nation, historically tied to the Arabian Peninsula through trade routes and political exchanges. The narrative is clear: the Mediterranean is not a peripheral sea but a global junction, essential to the stability of supply chains, energy flows and political alignments.
By proposing an Italy-hosted Gulf–Mediterranean Summit, Rome aims to institutionalise this vision, offering a platform for structured cooperation on economy, security and long-term stabilisation. Italy’s upgraded presence in the Gulf is not symbolic. It reflects a deliberate strategic shift that Gulf states now appear willing to test at a regional level. Whether Italy can consolidate this role will depend on its ability to convert diplomatic momentum into sustained political, industrial and security partnerships across the wider Mediterranean ecosystem.
