Italy Bets on Saudi Arabia for Vital Trade Routes and Regional Leverage

Italy’s trade exposure along the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb sits at the heart of a deepening Rome-Riyadh alignment, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani positioning Saudi Arabia as the cornerstone of Italy’s commercial and security calculus across the Middle East and Gulf.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Tajani made the economic stakes explicit: a significant share of Italian trade transits those two chokepoints, making freedom of navigation essential not only for Italy but for global energy and economic security. That dependency shapes Rome’s strategic posture. Saudi Arabia, in Tajani’s framing, has become indispensable to managing what he described as profound regional uncertainty driven by US-Iran tensions and broader international instability.

The relationship was formalised when Tajani and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan adopted a political declaration in Rome, reaffirming the “growing strategic partnership between Italy and Saudi Arabia.” The declaration extends the partnership’s geographic scope beyond the Gulf, pledging joint efforts to make the Wider Mediterranean “an area of peace, prosperity and sustainable growth.” Both governments also jointly condemned extremist settler violence and rejected any form of annexation, signalling coordinated positioning on Middle East territorial disputes.

Maritime security is the primary operational theatre. Italy and Saudi Arabia have reaffirmed shared commitment to safeguarding passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden and all international maritime routes. Rome is already deploying capital and capacity operationally: it leads the EU naval operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and contributes to ATALANTA in the northwestern Indian Ocean. Tajani noted that Saudi Arabia’s proposal for a Global Maritime Defence Alliance reflects growing international focus on these objectives, ones Italy fully shares.

Meanwhile, the partnership’s reach extends into political mediation, where Italy is positioning itself as a valued facilitator and, by extension, a commercially attractive diplomatic venue. Rome recently hosted the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, bringing together Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, President of the Conference of European Rabbis Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, and Sheikh Mohammed Al-Issa. Tajani credited Saudi Arabia with “remarkable leadership in keeping the political horizon of the two-state solution alive.”

Italy has backed that diplomatic posture with direct financial commitments. Rome has allocated an additional 10 million euros to support the Palestinian National Authority through the United Nations, trained Palestinian diplomats in Turin in cooperation with the International Labour Organization, and established university corridors enabling young Palestinians to study at leading Italian institutions. Italy also maintains bilateral assistance to Palestinian Security Forces and participates in the EU Border Assistance Mission at Rafah. Tajani described these outlays as “people-to-people diplomacy,” framing them as investments in the conditions that make lasting peace, and stable markets, possible.

Lebanon represents another line of strategic investment. Tajani stressed that Lebanon’s stability is essential for the security of the entire region, and that Italy has committed significant diplomatic effort to supporting dialogue and strengthening the country’s legitimate institutions. Rome was chosen as the venue for the latest round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon, a selection Tajani read as a signal of the trust both parties place in Italy’s facilitation capacity. Rome strongly supports President Joseph Aoun and is working with international partners to ensure the Lebanese state progressively regains effective authority across national territory. Permanent disarmament of Hezbollah, Tajani said, remains an essential pillar of that strategy.

Italy’s competitive advantage in this crowded diplomatic market, Tajani argued, is its ability to engage simultaneously with all principal actors in regional crises, keeping every channel open even in the most difficult moments. He characterised the Gulf as a crucial political, economic and security partner, situating Rome’s regional engagement within the broader context of growing international instability.

The declaration adopted in Rome commits both governments to a shared strategic vision. Whether that vision translates into deeper investment flows and commercial partnerships between the two economies is the question that will define the partnership’s real weight in the years ahead. Additional context on Tajani’s remarks is available at https://english.aawsat.com/gulf/5305354-italian-deputy-prime-minister-saudi-arabia-indispensable-partner-regional-stability.