In an interview with TG1Meloni said he had chosen to travel to the Gulf “as a sign of solidarity” with regional partners. But he admitted the trip also had a scientific purpose to gain Rome access to the region’s oil.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where 20 percent of the oil and natural gas that governs the world economy, has a major impact on Italy. The Arab Gulf states supply the country with about 15 percent of the oil it consumes, and as prices have risen sharply in the past month Meloni’s government has allocated nearly €900 million to reduce oil taxes.
The regional visit shows Rome’s unwillingness to wait for Brussels to come up with an answer to the energy crisis in the bloc. Meloni on Friday said he would move independently “to ensure Italy gets the energy supply it needs.”
