The Doha layover. On Monday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni landed in the Qatari capital for an State visit to Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani (with whom she held in-depth talks that ended with an official dinner) as well as PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
- She was accompanied by Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, who had a “constructive and engaging meeting” with his counterpart Ali Bin Al Kuwari and invited him to “further discuss business in sport, new technologies, infrastructure and common collaborations.”
What they spoke about. Talks between PM Meloni and Emir Al Thani centred on “bilateral issues, investment, including in the defence sphere, and cooperation in the fight against illegal migration, also following the Development and Migration Conference held on July 23 in Rome,” reads an official note from the Italian leader’s office.
- The two leaders also focused on the energy partnership and on the important opportunities for collaboration for our companies, especially Italy’s energy giant ENI, which has set up a joint venture with its local counterpart Qatar Energy.
A widening entente. The health of Italy-Qatar ties was exemplified by the Emir’s warm words of welcome for “[his] friend Giorgia]. Posting to X (née Twitter), Mr Al Thank said the “fruitful discussions” with PM Meloni were “an important milestone in our bilateral cooperation, which is constantly developing in various vital fields” – “in a way that reflects the depth of relations between the two countries.”
- Back in February, a host of leading Qatari experts detailed on Decode39 the growth of Italy-Qatar cooperation across trade exchanges, military cooperation, energy security, shared political interests and beyond. Here is their deep dive.
Image: Palazzo Chigi’s X profile
