After Saudi Arabia and before the United Arab Emirates, the visit of Giorgia Meloni At Qatar is part of a major strategic shift in the Middle East, since the start of the war on February 28. Rome is acting urgently here. Italy still relies heavily on energy supplies from the Gulf, notably Qatari liquefied natural gas, which accounted for around 10% of its consumption before the recent disruptions.
However, Iranian strikes and the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz have brutally weakened these flows. In this context, Meloni’s whirlwind tour of the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, aims first to secure the essential: energy, the backbone of all European economic sovereignty.
But beyond this defensive logic, it is also a strong political gesture: showing clear support for the Gulf monarchies, direct targets of Iranian retaliation. Italy assumes a strong position here like France which refused to support the force at the United Nations to liberate the Strait of Hormuz.
A strong economic partnership between Rome and Doha
The relationships between Italy and Qatar are not new, but they are today taking on a strategic dimension. Rome and Doha maintain long-standing diplomatic ties, structured around energy, investment and industrial cooperation.
Meloni’s move aims precisely to consolidate these interdependencies. Rome has offered technical support to rebuild Qatari energy infrastructure affected by Iranian strikes. This offer is based on a solid industrial fabric, with Eni at the forefront, a player already deeply integrated into the Qatari gas sector via major projects such as the expansion of the North Field.
Around this energy pillar, an entire Italian ecosystem can implicitly be mobilized: engineering groups like Saipem specializing in offshore oil and gas infrastructure, energy manufacturers like Edison, as well as construction and infrastructure players capable of quickly intervening on critical sites. Even if their names are not all officially put forward in diplomatic communication, their historical presence in major international energy projects makes them natural candidates for this reconstruction.
The scope of this visit goes far beyond energy issues
This positioning is far from trivial: it allows Italy to appear as an operational partner, and no longer just as an energy customer. In a context where Europe is desperately seeking to diversify its supplies since the break with Russia, Qatar is becoming a key player. And Italy, on the front line, is trying to secure a privileged relationship, even if it means establishing itself as one of the most active European interlocutors in the region.
Meloni, a credible mediator between Washington and the Gulf
But the scope of this visit goes far beyond energy issues. It reveals a broader political ambition: to make Italy a diplomatic pivot between the United States and the Gulf monarchies. Unlike other European leaders, Giorgia Meloni benefits from significant political capital in Washington. Its ideological proximity to the current American administration gives it a unique role: that of a credible intermediary in a region where trust is weakened.
In Doha, discussions focused not only on energy, but also on diplomatic efforts to end the regional conflict. Italy seeks to contribute to a form of stabilization, capable of dialogue with both Western partners and the Gulf powers. In this game, Qatar occupies a special place. A pivotal state, both an ally of the United States and interlocutor of numerous regional actors, it constitutes an ideal platform for indirect diplomatic initiatives. By going there, Meloni sends a clear message: Italy intends to participate in the reconstruction of the regional order.
Supporting the Gulf Monarchies
Finally, this visit is part of a more assertive logic: that of support for the Gulf monarchies against Iran. Italy has already provided defensive help and says it is ready to go further. Rome now recognizes that regional stability requires strengthening its alliances with countries like Qatar or Saudi Arabia. A pragmatic development, which contrasts with traditional European ambiguities.
In a world where multilateralism is crumbling, this strategy can allow Italy to play a useful role
In a Middle East in the midst of turmoil, where the balance of power takes precedence over principles, Meloni adopts a realistic approach: supporting strategic partners, securing economic interests and trying, at the same time, to reopen a diplomatic path.
A circumvented Europe, an Italy which asserts itself with France
This shift finally illustrates a basic trend: the gradual erasure of the European Union in favor of national initiatives. Where Brussels hesitates, Rome acts. By going to Qatar in the midst of a crisis, Giorgia Meloni is not only doing diplomacy. It repositions Italy as an actor capable of dialogue with Washington, of supporting the Gulf monarchies and of defending its energy interests. In a world where multilateralism is crumbling, this strategy can allow Italy to play a useful role, to contribute to regional balances and to make a contribution to a possible end to the crisis in the Middle East.
*Sébastien Boussois is a doctor in political science, consultant and researcher in geopolitics, scientific collaborator CNAM Paris, director of the IGE (European Geopolitical Institute). Media consultant.
