Meloni in Libya and Türkiye: the Prime Minister's surprise move. Giorgia accelerates on migrants and economic issues - Background

At Palazzo Chigi, they say it was a decision made by the Prime Minister in the last few hours, and after a brief meeting with ministers Matteo Piantedosi and Antonio Tajani, in the presence of Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council Alfredo Mantovano and Chigi's diplomatic advisor Fabrizio Saggio, she left for Libya and Turkey.

Giorgia Meloni is no stranger to these "surprise" visits, as was the case with journalist Sala, a prisoner of the Iranian regime, when, to break the deadlock, she quickly decided to fly to Florida with Trump in January, or to Tunisia last April, when she made a quick visit before the European Council in Brussels. While meticulous and precise to the point of obsession, she also possesses a streak of wild improvisation that makes her unpredictable yet often effective when it comes to international relations. This is the fifth time Giorgia Meloni has met with Kais Saied, the controversial president of Tunisia, a tangible sign that the Italian government considers relations with the African country strategic. In this case, the Italian prime minister sought not only reassurance on the migrant front, but also a frank discussion on the various economic issues pending between the two countries. A diplomatic source claims that the Tunisian president informally conveyed to the prime minister his disappointment with the European Parliament's attitude toward his requests, following the agreement signed in July 2023 with the Italian prime minister, in the presence of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the then Dutch President (now NATO head) Mark Rutte. The Italian prime minister's subsequent trips were also intended to make clear to the Tunisian leader that she is a woman of her word and will guarantee full compliance with the agreements signed.

Furthermore, the fact that agreements with third countries are the right approach for Europe's migrant management (perhaps the only viable option currently) is demonstrated by data on landings on Italian coasts in 2024. According to Frontex data, Italy has seen a 60% decrease in irregular migrant arrivals by sea compared to last year. According to the European border agency, this result is "mainly due to the preventive measures adopted by Tunisian and Libyan authorities to hinder the activities of traffickers." Departures from these two countries account for 92% of reported arrivals on the central Mediterranean route. Libya, in particular, has become the main departure point for migrant routes to Italy, significantly surpassing Tunisia, which had dominated in 2023. In the first seven months of 2025, 36,545 migrants landed in Italy by sea, a moderate increase of 9.15 percent compared to 33,480 in the same period in 2024, but a sharp decline of 58.7 percent compared to 88,464 in the same period in 2023. Departures from Tunisia itself have fallen sharply, falling from 12,052 to 2,393, a decrease of 80.1 percent. But Meloni also discussed with Tunisian leader Mattei's plan, which is beginning to achieve significant results in Tunisia as well, and agreements on energy and agriculture, especially in light of a tariff agreement between the EU and the US, which appears far from reassuring.

The Prime Minister reportedly emphasized Italy's commitment to the construction of the Elmed power line, an infrastructure described as "strategic" for the two countries and for the European continent. Furthermore, the project also involves the Italian private sector, which is already involved in renewable energy production in Tunisia. A true "energy bridge" between Italy and Tunisia, it will connect two major electricity systems: those of Europe and North Africa. The project will be completed thanks to the synergy and cooperation between Terna and Steg, the companies that manage the electricity grids of the two countries. A meeting is scheduled for today with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with whom she sealed trade agreements at their last meeting in Rome. The two leaders hope to quickly increase trade between the two countries from $32 billion today to $40 billion within a few years.

At stake are infrastructure projects in Turkey, Tanzania, and Uganda, a new high-speed rail line, a new submarine cable in the Mediterranean by Italy's Sparkle in collaboration with Turkey's Turkcell, and an agreement between Leonardo and Baykar for the design, development, and production (in Italy) of dedicated drones to be supplied primarily to NATO and EU partners. But Meloni will also discuss geopolitics with Erdogan, primarily Libya, which is still the primary destination for migrants headed to Italy, and Syria, as well as Ukraine and Gaza.

On this very front, Meloni had a telephone conversation on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , during which she called the situation in the Strip "unsustainable and unjustifiable." Diplomatic sources at Palazzo Chigi say that the Italian Prime Minister has decided to intervene decisively with the Israeli Prime Minister, to try to put an end to what increasingly appears to be a pointless and absurd massacre of Palestinian civilians. And for this reason, she considers the move by those like France and Great Britain, who have announced their intention to recognize the State of Palestine, to be highly inappropriate (which in reality does not exist as a true state entity, since the West Bank is ruled by Hamas, behind the cover of President Abu Mazen, in government since 2005, but without any real executive power and which now appears to have lost credibility and authority both at home and internationally). On migrants, Meloni is trying to inaugurate a new phase in relations with the Turkish leader (who, it should not be forgotten, was the then Prime Minister Mario Draghi three years ago) . he called a dictator), based on dialogue and cooperation, also because Turkey has now greatly expanded its influence on Libya, Syria, and the Horn of Africa in general.

"Ankara aims to transform Libya into a strategic outpost, expanding its economic and military influence in North Africa, often at odds with Italy, which has historically had interests in the region. Giorgia Meloni has no choice but to try, as she has done in recent months, to carve out a leading role for our country in Europe, in relations with its cumbersome neighbor Turkey. As they say, if you can't defeat your enemy, make him your friend," says a diplomatic source at Chigi. Meloni, in short, wants to appear before international leaders, as the authoritative British newspaper The Times has portrayed her, yet another one that has dedicated a lengthy editorial to her, which states verbatim that "Meloni is the first elected Italian leader in decades to make a serious impression on the international stage."