Georgia Meloni India visit: Over a year has passed since the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated into violence. India has been acknowledged for its neutral stance and support towards Ukraine through the provision of food grains and medical supplies. However, European nations are urging India to adopt a tougher stance against Moscow. Before making such demands, the European countries must first determine if they have a unified opinion on the conflict. To answer this question, one must look towards Italy, the third largest economy in the European Union.
The political landscape of Italy has undergone significant changes in recent times. The far-right party with ties to fascism has risen to power, with Georgia Meloni taking on the role of Prime Minister. In light of this development, it is imperative to comprehend Italy’s viewpoint on India’s global stance.
Giorgia Meloni: Chief Guest of the Raisina Dialogue
The Raisina Dialogue, India’s premier geopolitics and geoeconomics conference, is to be held from March 2–4. The most surprising news came with the announcement of the chief guest. Italy’s newly elected Prime Minister, Meloni, would be inaugurating the event. This is the second time that someone from the EU is inaugurating the event. Last year, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was the chief guest. This obviously shows that India wants to augment its relations with Europe to another level.
But, Georgia Meloni India visit is not only to inaugurate the event or a step to bolster ties between India and the EU. Actually, this is an attempt to boost bilateral ties between India and Italy. But before that, let us understand the stand of Italy’s Meloni government so that we can figure out the possible Indian stance.
During her election campaign, Meloni signalled a sceptical approach towards China. She showed her disappointment in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between her country and China for the BRI project by the previous government. She called it a ‘big mistake’.
The same is the case with other coalition parties in Meloni’s government. Antonio Tajani too comes from a Chinese sceptic background and opposed Italy’s decision to sign the MoU when he was the President of the European Parliament.
The only Draghi policy Meloni is unlikely to abandon is the protection of Italian assets. Each FDI is to be passed through the screening mechanism before entering the country. The Meloni government is also looking to review the earlier concluded Chinese FDIs. It looks like a good policy!
Also read: Defence deal on the table for India and Italy during maverick Melonie’s visit
Italy’s European concerns
After China, it’s time to look at Italy’s relations with the members of its home, i.e., the European Union. Since the formation of the government, Italy has confronted EU member countries on many issues. The first instance came with a spat between Italy and France on the Ocean Viking rescue ship that sailed through the Mediterranean Sea. The ship had 200 migrants on board. Italy refused to allow refugees to dock at its port.
As a result, the ship waited in the sea for almost two weeks. France accused Italy of not respecting international maritime law, which calls for humanitarian ships to dock at the nearest port. This escalated tensions between Italy and France. The spat increased so much that French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that both countries would have “extremely strong consequences for their bilateral relationship”.
To which Giovanbattista Fazzolari, under-secretary for the implementation of the government program, said, “I hope they are not referring to [the EU post-pandemic] funds, as any such action would be very serious.” It is worth noting here that, with around €200 billion to be disbursed, Italy is the biggest beneficiary among the EU’s 27 nations of the so-called European Recovery and Resilience Fund.
Meloni’s stand on Russia has been pretty clear since her election days. Recently, the EU was planning to put a 10th round of sanctions on Russia. But this time it included synthetic rubber. This became the bone of contention between Italy and Poland. While Poland insisted that the import quota of synthetic rubber from Russia is high, Italy had the opposite view. This led to a clash between the two, and Italy ultimately prevailed. Germany, too, was against the lowering of the quota but eventually agreed to lower it with a transition period.
The biggest disappointment for Italy came with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s late-night dinner at the Élysée Palace with the leaders of France and Germany. Meloni took it as being against the EU’s solidarity and called the meeting “inappropriate”. This debate took the form of a spat between the political leaders in domestic politics.
What is important here is that Italy’s new government is trying to become an important player in the EU, and it is also trying to reform the EU so that it can become more rational and leave the 20th century thought process.
Also read: Greece finally finds its spine, joins hands with Egypt and Italy to go all out against Turkey
Georgia Meloni India visit- Italy’s India view
Coming to Italy’s India view, it is a glasslike reality that Italy wants good ties with India. Be it the older government or the new one, Italy sees India as a reliable partner. This is in line with Italy’s increased engagement in the Indo-Pacific. The focal point of geopolitics is shifting towards the Indo-Pacific. Italy knows that the region is full of resources and contributes a large volume of trade. And being the third largest economy in the European Union, its presence in the region is more than just a requirement.
Apart from that, it wants to compete with others. Italy’s aspirations are mounting because of the increasing stakes of France, Germany, and the UK in the region. Italy achieved dialogue partner status in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in 2019 and development partner status in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020. Before 2019, it was in 2007 that Italy focused primarily on the Indo-Pacific when it became a dialogue partner of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
It is aiming to become a major partner for India’s Make in India initiative, which will eventually open a door for the nascent Indo-Pacific ecosystem. The common values for the region and a shared approach to sustainable development make India and Italy the natural partners. There is also a shared approach to strengthening supply chains that have been disrupted as a result of a pandemic.
To bolster its ties with India Italy has started to signal its intentions. Just a few days before the proposed India visit of Georgia Meloni for the Raisina Dialogue, Italy has sent its naval patrol vessel to the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific is not only a matter of economic partnership. It has security aspects too. Maybe that is why Italy wants to augment its relationship with India to a strategic partnership level.
This month, Italian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Matteo Perego Di Cremnago attended Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru and met with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Di Cremnago expressed Rome’s interest in elevating bilateral relations with New Delhi to the level of a strategic partnership. Earlier, on similar lines, an agreement with Japan was also signed. So, will it be right to say that Italy is planning a troika of India, Japan, and Italy? Let’s understand the possibility.
India-Italy-Japan
As discussed earlier, China is a concern for Italy, and hence, it too wants to reduce Beijing’s assertiveness. Acknowledging India’s call for a rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific, Italy, India, and Japan launched a trilateral partnership in 2021. The trilateral was inaugurated through a virtual meeting that included the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Embassies of Italy in Tokyo and New Delhi, and the Japanese Foreign Ministry, along with ambassadors of the three nations’ key stakeholders.
The initiative by Italy to include Japan and India is not random. It is because Italy knows that, apart from France, Australia, and the United States, India and Japan are the two countries that are most affected by any mechanism carried out in the region. Besides, India and Japan are members of other trilateral partnerships too. Some of them are Japan-India, Japan-Australia, and Japan-USA.
Georgia Meloni India visit – The real intentions
After all this analysis, let us sum it up to get a more clear and vivid picture. Italy wants to dominate the geopolitical equations in the Indo-Pacific and the European Union. On the Indo-Pacific front, it needs players like India and Japan to contain China without getting involved with the conventional politics of Europe. Italy’s approach towards the region is shifting from the EU framework to a bilateral and trilateral partnership.
On the European front, it is breaking itself from the traditional European consensus. Italy’s approach seems to be more reform-seeking, while denouncing a clear bifurcation when it comes to Russia. But what about India? What are its benefits?
The answer lies in France’s stand on the current G20. India is looking to expand its strategic partnership relations with major players in the world, which includes France too. Macron, up until now, has been of the opinion that the collective west should provide a guarantee to Russia when it comes to the negotiating table. But things have changed. France refused to sign a communiqué for the G20 because of India’s neutrality.
The basic notion is that the G7 inside the G20 is lobbying against India. And that is why dragging Italy by its side is exemplifying India’s diplomatic wisdom. And it is the need of the hour to bolster ties with Italy. The Indo-Pacific is important, but Italy’s alignment with India is more of a necessity for Italy in the region. So, while Meloni is interested in balancing west-east equations through India; India seems sure to balance Europe in its favour.
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