Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni highlighted her Qatar visit in parliament, stressing support for Gulf states and the need to secure energy supplies amid the Iran war.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni highlighted her visit to Qatar in her Italian Parliament address on Thursday over the current regional crisis in light of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
“A few days ago I travelled, as the first among EU and G7 leaders, to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Countries that since the 28th of February have been subjected to an unjustified attack by Iran,” Meloni said.
“I want to express Italy’s solidarity and support, but I also want to secure energy supplies,” she added.
Meloni travelled to Qatar on 4 April as part of a Gulf tour, where energy and defence topped the agenda. The visit marked the first by the leader of a G7 and G20 nation to the Gulf since the beginning of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran on 28 February.
Meloni’s trip to Qatar also marked her second official visit to the country since taking office in 2022, following her first trip in October 2023.
In Doha, Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Meloni held a meeting, where they stressed the need to deescalate tensions and prioritise political dialogue and diplomatic solutions to resolve the regional situation.
“Both sides stressed the need to deescalate tensions and prioritise political dialogue and diplomatic solutions as the most effective way to contain the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and its impact on energy and supply chains, and to safeguard regional energy security,” the Amiri Diwan said in a statement at the time.
The last meeting that took place between both sides was on 6 February in Milan on the occasion of the Winter Olympics. At the time, Qatar’s Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) and Italian law enforcement collaborated in securing the event.
Italy ranks as the world’s sixth largest arms supplier, with Qatar standing as its largest recipient, followed by Kuwait and Indonesia, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) latest figures.
Qatar ranks as the fourth-largest arms recipient globally and the second-largest among Arab countries, with the U.S. standing as its main supplier, according to SIPRI.
“Italian and Qatari Armed Forces work every day hand in hand to ensure full success of defense operations. Italy will continue to be at Qatar’s side in defining an updated and effective security framework for the friendly nation,” the Italian Embassy in Doha said in a media statement during Meloni’s visit.
