“Giorgia Meloni’s strategy is broadly aligned with Washington’s overall posture toward the Indo-Pacific, reflecting a subtle and nuanced approach designed to maximise Italy’s global potential and partnerships,” said Brian Katulis, vice president for Policy and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, in an interview with Decode39.
Why it matters: As announced past December, from today through Jan. 19, Italy’s prime minister is on an official mission to Asia, with stops in Oman, Japan, and South Korea.
- According to the Italian government, the trip reflects a strategy aimed at strengthening Italy’s political and economic profile along the Indo-Pacific–Middle East axis, combining political diplomacy, industrial cooperation, and coordination on major global dossiers.
Oman: political dialogue and regional dossiers. The mission opened on Jan. 15 with a visit to the Sultanate of Oman, where Meloni met with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.
- According to Italian government sources, the talks focused on strengthening bilateral political and economic dialogue and expanding cooperation in key areas such as defence, justice, culture, education, and research.
- Regional crises were also high on the agenda, including developments in the Middle East, Yemen, and Iran.
- The Oman stop fits into Italy’s broader engagement with Gulf countries in recent weeks, aimed at consolidating a stable political channel on regional security and development.
- It signals a strategic repositioning of Italy in the Gulf, with Muscat’s “constructive neutrality” emerging as Rome’s gateway into a region undergoing profound geopolitical and economic change.
Japan: strategic cooperation and the Indo-Pacific. The political centrepiece of the trip is the Japan leg. In Tokyo on Jan. 16, Meloni will meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, marking her first bilateral meeting with a European leader since taking office last October.
- According to the Italian government, the visit carries particular strategic weight as Italy and Japan mark the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
- The two leaders are set to adopt a joint declaration upgrading bilateral ties to a Special Strategic Partnership, to accelerate implementation of the 2024–2027 Italy-Japan Action Plan.
- Economic, industrial, and technological cooperation will be central to the talks. Japan is Italy’s third-largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade exceeding €10 billion in 2025, driven by strong Italian exports of high-end consumer goods.
- Italy’s business presence in Japan is also expanding, with around 170 Italian companies operating there.
- On geopolitics, Rome and Tokyo will discuss Indo-Pacific security and stability, the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, and cooperation in Africa.
- According to Italian sources, Italy and Japan share an approach to African development based on equal partnerships, embodied by Italy’s Mattei Plan and Japan’s TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development) initiative.
- On Jan. 17, Meloni will also meet executives from major Japanese companies, seeking to encourage new industrial partnerships and additional investment in Italy.
South Korea: technology and semiconductors. The mission will conclude on Jan. 19 in Seoul, where Meloni will meet South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. This will be the first bilateral visit by an Italian prime minister to South Korea in nearly 20 years, and the first by a European leader since President Lee took office.
- The meeting — the second following talks held in New York last September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly — will focus not only on political, economic, industrial, and cultural relations between Italy and South Korea, but also on the situation in East Asia.
- Following the summit, the two leaders are expected to witness the signing of several agreements, including a deal to strengthen industrial cooperation on semiconductors, a memorandum on disaster prevention and management — drawing on Italy’s civil protection expertise — and an agreement on protecting cultural heritage.
- South Korea is Italy’s fourth-largest trading partner in Asia and, on a per-capita basis, Italy’s leading Asian export market.
- According to Italian sources, the joint declaration to be adopted in Seoul will set out strategic priorities to boost trade, expand mutual investment, and promote industrial partnerships in high-tech sectors.
The bottom line: Signals from the Italian government suggest that Meloni’s Asia tour underscores Italy’s ambition to position itself as a pragmatic and reliable actor bridging the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, with a clear focus on strategic partnerships, industry, and key technologies.
