Securing the interests of the motives of the visit of the Prime Minister of Italy to Iraq

Karam Said

Relations between Rome and Baghdad enter a new phase after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Baghdad on December 24, her first visit outside Europe. The visit comes amidst regional and international changes, foremost among which is the continuation of the Ukrainian crisis. It also comes in light of Italian efforts to reduce dependence on Russian gas by trying to reach new agreements with a number of energy-exporting countries, foremost among which is Iraq, which is of particular importance. As it possesses large oil resources, which makes it a destination for many industrialized countries on the European continent, which aim to deepen their energy partnerships with Middle Eastern countries to end dependence entirely on Russian gas.

Italian moves towards Iraq

Georgina Meloni's visit to Iraq comes within the framework of Italian efforts to enhance cooperation with Iraq in various fields, especially in the energy sector. This was evident in the recent agreement between the two countries to enhance Italian investments to develop infrastructure in the Iraqi energy sector. There is an interest for Italian companies to strengthen their presence in this sector, and this was evident in the participation of a significant number of them in the Baghdad International Fair last November, with the aim of contracting with the Iraqi government to rehabilitate the infrastructure, especially manufacturing industrial facilities in the oil and gas sector.

In parallel, Italy has been keen over the past months to develop its economic and security relations with Iraq. In June 2021, Rome announced that it intends to keep a large military unit in Iraq; To enable him to fight the threat of the Islamic State "ISIS". It is noteworthy that Italy has 900 soldiers and advisors in the Kurdistan region and Iraq, and participates in the coalition's missions with 84 military vehicles and 11 military aircraft. Italy is also one of the countries participating in training and qualifying the Iraqi Peshmerga forces and police, as it has trained and qualified 58,000 Iraqi Peshmerga forces and police.

In a parallel track, Italy showed remarkable keenness to deepen its military relations with Iraq, and this was revealed by the visit of the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Drione, to Baghdad in July 2022.

On a significant level, Rome was keen to develop its aid to Iraq, as Italy provided nearly 430 million dollars, in the form of financial aid and loans to Iraq, in addition to aid worth 400 million dollars to Syria. Italy also allocates 13 million euros annually for development projects in Iraq, in particular Those aimed at promoting peace and stability in areas liberated from ISIS.

Diverse motives

Within the framework of the previous data, there are a number of important indications and considerations that are reflected in Georgia Meloni's visit to Iraq, which can be stated as follows:

Finding an alternative to Russian gas: The energy file is one of the most important priorities of Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni's visit to Iraq, in light of Italian efforts to diversify partnerships in this sector. The importance of this file was compounded by the circumstances of Europe's attempt to reduce dependence on Russian supplies in its war in Ukraine, and Rome seeks to strengthen its relations with Iraq, which is one of the major oil producers in the Arab region.

In the context of the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis and its negative repercussions on the oil markets, Rome is heading to try to reach new agreements with a number of energy-exporting countries, in the forefront of which is Iraq, which has a production capacity of crude oil, about five million barrels per day. Therefore, the current Italian moves relate to Towards Baghdad, in a respectable aspect, by securing its oil needs, especially as Rome seeks to reduce dependence on Russian gas. Here, it is possible to understand the visit of the Italian Prime Minister to the Kurdistan region, as it also represents the center of attraction for European powers with regard to energy projects.

Supporting economic exchanges: Rome aims to support its rapprochement with Iraq at this time to strengthen economic relations between the two countries, especially with the efforts of the Georgian government of Meloni to address the current imbalance in the Italian economy as a result of the damage caused by high energy costs in addition to the rise in inflation rates. It is expected that the Italian rapprochement with Iraq, through the signing of agreements that meet Rome's gas and oil needs, will contribute to reviving the Italian economy, which depends on the industrial sector during the coming period. It is noteworthy that the General Confederation of Italian Industry "Confindustria" called on the government last October to allocate an aid package worth between 40 and 50 billion euros to prevent thousands of factories and companies from going bankrupt due to high energy prices.

On the other hand, Iraq aims to ensure Italy’s participation in the field of developing its infrastructure, whether related to oil fields through Italian energy companies that have experience in this field, or with regard to transport networks and ports, as Iraq announced on October 25, 2022 that after Italy’s success in The establishment of the great port of Faw, it stimulates contracting with an international Italian company to prepare studies and designs for the development of the Iraqi railway network. It is worth noting that the volume of trade exchange between Italy and Iraq reached about $656 million by the end of 2021.

Expanding the scope of security cooperation: Meloni's visit to Iraq is inseparable from his desire to enhance security cooperation, especially in light of Baghdad's efforts to continue mobilizing against armed groups in the region. There are growing fears of a repeat of terrorist attacks in Iraq, which has come a long way in terms of its stability. Concern escalated in light of US warnings of the return of the dangers of the "ISIS" organization, especially after the organization announced its responsibility on December 18, 2022 for the killing of a number of policemen and civilians in the two governorates of Kirkuk, northern Iraq.

In this context, there are remarkable Iraqi efforts, revealed by the Baghdad government's endeavor to change the military tactics used in the areas that witness the activities of terrorist remnants, in addition to adopting unconventional methods of confrontation. The importance of Iraqi-Italian cooperation in the field of combating terrorism can be understood. Despite the escalation of Iraqi coordination with the United States mainly in the fight against "ISIS", this does not negate the importance of security cooperation with Italy, and this was evident in the statements of the Iraqi Prime Minister on the eve of his meeting with his Italian counterpart, where he said, "Italy has a positive role with Iraq, especially in the war against ISIS terrorist organization.

Pushing Italian investments in Iraq: Rome seeks to benefit from the natural and mineral resources that Iraq abounds with. In view of the wealth that Iraq possesses, especially in the oil sector, Rome seeks to benefit from these oil resources, of which Italy suffers from a severe shortage. It is expected that Meloni's visit to Iraq will result in expanding the activity of Italian companies in the Iraqi market, especially in the oil sector, as some estimates indicate that there is an urgent Italian need to enhance its investments in the Iraqi energy sector, in order to provide a fertile environment to ensure an increase in the volume of its supplies of Iraqi gas and oil. , due to the steady increase in the volume of domestic consumption.

On the other hand, Iraq shows remarkable keenness towards Italian investments during the next stage, especially in light of the endeavor of the new Iraqi government led by Muhammad Shia’a al-Sudani, within its projects, to maximize the benefit from its oil wealth, by expanding the construction of facilities necessary to process oil and raw gas, and convert it into fuel for consumption. Domestic or for export, and according to Iraqi estimates, Italian companies can play a role in this field.

Restoring Italian influence in the region: Rome tends to take advantage of the escalation of popular and official resentment against US policies in the region to strengthen its presence in the Middle East region. The current circumstances, with the countries of the region searching for new partners, are an opportunity for Rome to expand its influence in the region. Rome also aims behind the rapprochement with the countries of the region, especially Iraq, to circumvent the immigrant crisis, which has turned into a chronic headache for European governments.

In conclusion, it can be said that Georgia Meloni's visit to Iraq comes within the framework of the escalating pace of international and regional competition in Iraq, not to mention that it coincides with Moscow's tendency to reduce its gas exports to Europe due to the sanctions imposed on it due to the Ukrainian crisis, so it is possible to understand Rome's tendency towards gas and oil reserves. Iraqi.