Italy’s Meloni on surprise ‘energy security’ visit to Saudi Arabia, source says

Summary

• PM Meloni visits Saudi Arabia to boost "national energy security" amidst Middle East tensions and rising energy prices.
• Italy, reliant on energy imports, seeks to increase gas imports, having already visited Algeria on March 25.
• Meloni, close to Trump, may address Iran's Strait of Hormuz blockade impacting global oil and LNG supplies.

ROME - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni began a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia on April 3 as part of a Gulf tour to boost “national energy security”, a government source said, as the Middle East war rages.

Ms Meloni began her unannounced trip in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, the source said, adding that she was the first leader of a European Union or NATO country to visit the region since the war began on Feb 28.

The source said Ms Meloni would meet with officials from Saudi Arabia, as well as from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

But it was not immediately clear if she would also visit those two countries.

All three countries have been targeted by Iranian drone and missile strikes in retaliation for US-Israeli bombardment of Iran.

Italy is higly dependent on energy imports and has been eyeing rising energy prices with growing concern.

The government has cut fuel excise taxes until May 1 in a bid to contain petrol price rises.

Ms Meloni on March 25 visited Algeria, which already provides around 30 per cent of Italy’s natural gas, in the hope of increasing gas imports.

Far-right leader Ms Meloni is also one of the European leaders closest to US President Donald Trump, who has urged countries affected by Iran’s selective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to intervene.

The vital shipping route accounted for around a quarter of the global seaborne oil trade and 20 per cent of LNG supplies before the war. AFP