President Meloni’s speech at Rome MED Dialogues 2024

Good morning everyone.

Thank you, and I would first of all like to personally welcome to Rome and thank all the Ministers, authorities and the many international guests who have accepted the invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ISPI [Italian Institute for International Political Studies] to participate in this tenth edition of Rome MED Dialogues.

I wish to thank Minister Tajani and President Bruni for their hospitality and determination in continuing to organise this event, which is being held again this year after a break last year and that has over time become a key forum of reference for discussions on challenges around the Mediterranean. As the Minister was saying, Italy considers these discussions to be a top priority and of strategic importance, quite simply because the Mediterranean is our home, in the noblest sense of the word.

For us, focusing on the Mediterranean means leveraging Italy’s natural geopolitical, geo-strategic and geo-economic reach. This is not simply the result of some political input or a random choice by one government or another. It is much more than that; it stems from our geographical position, which over time has clearly contributed to defining our culture and developing our civilisation and external engagement.

As I have said many times before, Italy is a very unique nation, being continental and maritime at the same time: our head forms part of Mitteleuropa while our feet bathe in the Mediterranean Sea. This makes us a natural bridge between the north and south of Europe, between continental Europe and Mediterranean Europe, and between Europe as a whole and the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East. But that’s not all.

For thousands of years, the Mediterranean was the heart of the world’s political, cultural and trade exchanges. Then for centuries it became a sort of ‘blind alley’, as if it were some remote extension of the Atlantic Ocean. Then, as so often happens, progress and human ingenuity made the impossible possible, altering geography with the opening of the Suez Canal. The Mediterranean thus gradually regained its key role, namely as a ‘middle sea’ connecting the world’s two major maritime areas: the Atlantic Ocean on one side, and the Indo-Pacific on the other, through the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. 

Over time, this key role led to the term ‘wider Mediterranean’ being coined, which was a concept that emerged in the 1980s, as many here are aware, and has gradually entered our language. This term effectively defines a geographical area enclosed between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Aden, including also the Middle East and central Africa therein.

Over these years, there has been a lot of work to give political depth to this notion. However, I want to say this morning that I have personally come to the belief that defining the Mediterranean using fixed borders is, in the end, somewhat belittling and that the lesson of the great historian Fernand Braudel more accurately reflects the reality of things today: already at the end of the 1940s, he said that the Mediterranean is what men make of it. 

So, this long introduction of mine was to explain that I believe, on this tenth anniversary of the Rome MED Dialogues, that we can try and seize a great opportunity, not only to have in-depth discussions together on some of the priority challenges of the particularly complex historical period we are facing, but also and perhaps above all to take an important step forward in reflecting on the Mediterranean’s role from a geopolitical and geo-strategic point of view, trying to together give concrete form to a new and much more ambitious definition: no longer a ‘wider Mediterranean’ but a ‘global Mediterranean’.

In other words, this means thinking of the Mediterranean not as a limited context defined by physical and political boundaries and nor as a regional sea that in the end is not involved in the big challenges, but rather as an area that wants to reach out to the world and become a key player in the major global interconnections, because this challenge is within our reach.

We must not forget that the Mediterranean is the most direct link between East and West, and it is no coincidence that it is crossed by approximately 20% of the world’s maritime traffic despite making up only 1% of the planet’s water.

Before the Houthis began their attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, the Suez Canal had broken all maritime traffic records, with more than 26,000 ships passing through it in 2023, being the hub connecting the Mediterranean with another key maritime area in the international economic landscape which is of increasing importance: the Indo-Pacific. Just think that 40% of the European Union’s foreign trade passes through the South China Sea and much more passes through the Indian Ocean.

All these elements clearly offer Italy an extraordinary advantage, because if it is true that the Mediterranean has regained its central role in the world, and if it is true that we have a central position in the Mediterranean, then I presume the conclusion is clear to everyone. And of course our nation well understands the responsibility and role that this involves as well as how much of an opportunity we have today to play a key role in global dynamics. With this Government in particular, Italy intends to play its part to the full from this point of view, as I believe we have demonstrated.

I am referring in particular to the huge opportunities arising from the development of economic interconnections, which are playing an increasingly decisive role in a globalised economic context with a strong drive for innovation. I am referring, for example, to development of the IMEC, the infrastructure and economic corridor project that aims to connect Europe, the Middle East and India. Italy played a key role in launching this initiative within the G20 and it intends to remain at the forefront, because connecting the port cities of India, the Middle East and Europe, including also Italy on this map of key hubs, at least with Trieste – the northernmost port in the Mediterranean and the historical maritime entry point to Central and Eastern Europe – would clearly enable us to unlock enormous potential for our economy, business and trade. Digital connections are also strategic at a time when data is, and will increasingly be, the driving force of our societies. In this regard, I would like to recall the Blue-Raman system of fibre optic communication cables that will link India to European economies, again passing via the Mediterranean.

Thinking of the Mediterranean as a global area provides an extraordinary opportunity for everyone, also from an energy point of view, in relation to which we have of course already put our nation forward to become the main hub for energy flows between the Mediterranean, Africa and Europe. As you know, the Government is also articulating this ambition through the Mattei Plan for Africa, with energy, and energy connections in particular, among its key pillars. In this regard, it is worth recalling two key strategic projects: the ELMED electricity interconnection between Italy and Tunisia, so between Africa and Europe, and the South H2 Corridor to transport hydrogen from North Africa to Europe; these two infrastructure projects will make Italy Europe’s gateway for Mediterranean gas and hydrogen.

Talking about a global Mediterranean also means working to build an increasingly safe and stable geopolitical area, in a spirit of equal and not predatory or charity-based cooperation. This is the message our Government has sent out, especially with regard to our relationship with Africa, where our challenge is above all to allow African nations to use their many resources in the best way possible and live off what they have, with stable governments and prosperous societies, thereby also ensuring – as Minister Tajani also mentioned – a right that has not been guaranteed until now, which is people’s right not to have to emigrate and to be able to find prospects for a better future, a future of dignity, growth, employment and opportunity, in their own communities, at home, without having to sever their ties. That is true solidarity and true respect, and it is what the Italian Government has been working on ever since entering office.

As I was saying, this is the philosophy behind the Mattei Plan for Africa. This concrete plan, which has been shared with the countries in which it operates, has already been launched in nine African nations, but our goal is obviously to involve many more. This strategic plan is not only of national interest, but of international interest too. What we are trying to do is make it more and more European and international, thereby creating ever greater synergies among different initiatives that share the same goal, and so between the Mattei Plan in the case of Italy, the European Union’s Global Gateway and the G7’s famous ‘PGII’ infrastructure project. In other words, we are trying to also support many others in understanding the focus on this approach and on a continent that will play an increasingly strategic role for the future at international level. 

I believe the welcome decision by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to include a portfolio dedicated to the Mediterranean in the new Commission and to work on drawing up a ‘Plan for the Mediterranean’ is also thanks to the fundamental impetus we have provided. Italy is paying a great deal of attention to this initiative and is of course ready to offer all the cooperation necessary. This decision reflects a change in stance, we could say a shift in focus, that Europe has adopted towards its southern flank over the last years, and I believe this is above all thanks to Italy’s drive.

This change in stance can also be seen in the management of migration flows in particular: as I was saying, Europe’s support for the memorandum of understanding with Tunisia, Europe’s support for the memorandum of understanding with Egypt and the increasingly strong commitment, on the one hand, to create development in African countries and, on the other, to combat human trafficking networks with an approach that is objectively very different to what we have seen in the past. This gives us hope for the future. Clearly this path now needs to be consolidated in order to be more and more effective in countering mass illegal immigration at the same time as making legal migration channels increasingly efficient. Italy has been carrying out this work not just at European level but at Mediterranean level too.

In this regard, I would like to recall the Rome Process, the initiative we organised last year with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which brought the main Mediterranean countries together in order to collaborate on the issue of migration, discussing how to address the causes and manage them in an effective way, and how to combat the trafficking networks. We organised it here in Rome, launching this initiative aptly named the ‘Rome Process’. We are now working on the second edition, set to be held in Tunisia in 2025. 

Focusing on the Mediterranean also means ensuring Europe’s role and importance is felt in the war against the chaos that risks spreading with current crises multiplying. We are all aware of the dramatic situation in Sudan, a country torn apart by a devastating civil war that is facing catastrophic humanitarian collapse: approximately 25 million people are malnourished, there are 8 million internally displaced persons, more than 2.5 million people have fled to the neighbouring South Sudan, Chad and Egypt, and there are very serious human rights violations, with ethnic violence making an already extremely unstable situation even more complicated. This can have consequences beyond the region itself. I am saying this as a reminder to myself and to all of us, regarding a crisis that is perhaps not being talked about enough, because it means being aware of the role that it is always possible to play in the global context. 

That is of course without forgetting the main crisis affecting the Mediterranean today: the conflict in the Middle East, the dramatic situation in the Gaza Strip, in Lebanon.

I shan’t go into all the work the Italian Government has done, Minister Tajani has already done so very effectively in just a few minutes; I say that because it really has been a huge amount of work, for which I wish to thank not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but also Italy’s entire economic system, as these things can only be done successfully above all if there is a chain of people who understand how crucial these dynamics are for our system as a whole.

Last night’s announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon is a very important and very positive development. We must of course see this is as a starting point and not as an end point. We must now seize this opportunity and work with determination for long-term stabilisation of the Israel-Lebanon border, allowing all displaced persons, Israeli and Lebanese, to safely return to their homes. To do this, as is also provided for in the ceasefire agreement, it is crucial to finally implement United Nations Resolution 1701 in full, boosting the capacities of UNIFIL and above all those of the Lebanese armed forces.

I am proud of the fact that Italy, in command of the Military Technical Committee for Lebanon, is playing a key role also and above all in this challenge.

Working together with our G7 partners, our partners in the Gulf, and our European partners to strengthen the capacities of the Lebanese armed forces so that they can take on the responsibilities provided for by the UN mandate is a crucial condition to achieve the goals set out in the ceasefire agreement and in the United Nations resolutions.

Also in this regard, I wish to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has been working with its G7 counterparts in these days and has once again reiterated Italy’s commitment to achieving a de-escalation and laying the foundations for a lasting political solution for the entire Middle East crisis, of course based on the prospect of two states in which Israel and Palestine can finally co-exist side by side in peace and security. 

Among other things, the increase in tensions and military escalation have also worsened the refugee crisis throughout the region, especially in Syria, Jordan and clearly also Lebanon. I want to mention this because it is another issue Italy has been working hard on over the last months. It is fundamental to tackle this emergency because it is a crisis that is getting worse and worse. I personally and the entire Government have worked hard for also this issue to be put on the European Council’s agenda once again. I am convinced that Europe must work to build the necessary conditions for refugees to be able to return home, on a voluntary basis and in a safe, dignified and sustainable way. This is what the refugees themselves want and are asking for, and it is a goal that cannot be postponed until some distant future. This is another major commitment Italy has been working on over the last months.

In conclusion, as the tenth edition of Rome MED Dialogues comes to a close, this is an opportunity to take stock of what we have done so far and, above all, an opportunity to ask ourselves what is still left to do.

As we bring this edition of the MED Dialogues to an end, we are therefore beginning to organise the next one, asking ourselves about the coming year’s challenges, because we know there are still very many pages to be added to the Mediterranean’s age-old history, which spans much further than its geographical borders, as indeed do its opportunities. After all, as Albert Camus’s teacher once wrote, the Mediterranean is a limited space that evokes infinity.

Thank you.