In an interview with TG1, Meloni said she had chosen to travel to the Gulf “as a gesture of solidarity” with regional allies. But she admitted the trip also had the pragmatic goal of securing Rome’s access to the region’s oil.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which some 20 percent of the oil and natural gas that powers the global economy runs, is having a major impact on Italy. The Arab Gulf states supply the country with around 15 percent of the oil it consumes, and as prices have steadily risen during the last month Meloni’s government has allocated nearly €900 million to slash fuel taxes.
The regional visit reflects Rome’s unwillingness to wait for Brussels to come up with a response to the bloc-wide energy crisis. Meloni on Friday said she would move independently to “to guarantee Italy has access to the energy supply it needs.”