Alekseenkova Elena Sergeyevna – Ph.D. in Political Sciences, Leading Researcher, Institute of Europe RAS
The article examines the current approaches of the Italian leadership to the main security challenges in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The author shows what challenges and threats Italy sees in the region today, how this vision is reflected in strategic documents and new initiatives of the Meloni government, such as the Mattei Plan and the Rome Process, as well as in interaction with key players in the MENA region. There is a clear desire on the part of the Italian leadership to achieve several goals, such as ensuring Italy’s energy security and turning the country into an «energy hub» in Europe; increasing the manageability of migration flows and, to this end, promoting the long-term goal of economic development in Africa; resolving current crises and reducing the conflict potential of the region; ensuring the security of international trade, critical infrastructure and supply chains of energy resources and raw materials; enhancing the role and status of Italy as a «middle power» and a central actor in the Mediterranean, a key partner of the EU and NATO in the implementation of their Mediterranean agenda and security policy. The article examines the policy of the Meloni government towards the states of the MENA region and concludes that Italy faces an increasingly complex task of balancing in the context of growing regional tensions and intensified conflicts.
Greater Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Greater Middle East, Italy, Italian foreign policy, security, «middle power».
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