Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Baku earlier this week, where she met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The main goal of the trip was to reinforce political and commercial relations and ensure a steady flow of gas and oil to Italy.
The visit marks the third major diplomatic mission by Meloni aimed at strengthening energy partnerships since the escalation of the Middle East conflict. Earlier trips included visits to Algeria in March and to Gulf states - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar - in April.
Italy remains heavily dependent on energy imports, as it lacks significant domestic natural resources and has no active nuclear power plants. Approximately 74% of the country’s energy is imported, compared to an EU average of around 57%.
In this context, countries like Azerbaijan have gained strategic importance. Italy already imports roughly 15% of its oil and gas from the Caspian nation.
The Italian government is now positioning itself as a facilitator of Azerbaijani energy interests in Europe, in exchange for more reliable and long-term supply agreements.