Key Takeaways
- The IMEC represents a strategic opportunity to strengthen connectivity between Europe, the Persian Gulf, and India.
- Italy is positioning itself as a key player in the IMEC, with senior government officials highlighting the country’s strategic role in connecting Europe with India and the Persian Gulf.
- The IMEC is crucial to invest in, both through diplomatic efforts and by developing national infrastructure, to promote peace, economic cooperation, and lasting stability in the region.
Italy is positioning itself as a key player in the emerging India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), with senior government officials highlighting the country’s strategic role in connecting Europe with India and the Persian Gulf through enhanced trade infrastructure and diplomatic engagement.
Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Edoardo Rixi, speaking at an event organized by the Foreign Affairs Department of the Lega (League) at the Italian Parliament’s Montecitorio Press Room, underscored Italy’s readiness to anchor itself as the Mediterranean hub of IMEC.
‘We are living in an era marked by profound geopolitical changes that are testing the stability of global trade routes. In this context, Italy is ready to do its part’, Rixi said.’IMEC represents a strategic opportunity to strengthen connectivity between Europe, the Persian Gulf, and India, and our country—thanks to its geographical position and infrastructure investments—can become the logistical hub of the Mediterranean.’
Rixi emphasized Italy’s deepening engagement with India, noting that IMEC is ‘a more collaborative trade route, developed with the cooperation of like-minded countries—unlike certain routes like the Belt and Road Initiative, where one’s role tends to be more passive.’
The conference, titled ‘IMEC: A Path for Peace and Stability in the Middle East’, was spearheaded by League MP Paolo Formentini, Vice President of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Head of the League’s Foreign Affairs Department.
‘I am firmly convinced that the Corridor represents a strategic opportunity to promote peace, economic cooperation, and lasting stability in the region’, Formentini said. ‘It is crucial to invest in IMEC, both through diplomatic efforts and by developing national infrastructure, starting with the port of Trieste.’
Senator Marco Dreosto, who represents Friuli Venezia Giulia in the Italian Senate, recalled his early engagement with India on this issue.
‘I was the first Italian senator to travel to India to talk about Trieste and our production system, when very few were discussing it’, he said, referencing his participation in the inaugural Sagarmatha Dialogues. ‘Trieste has a historic vocation for global trade—from the Lloyd Triestino line connecting Italy to Bombay, to Baron Revoltella, one of the principal financiers of the Suez Canal.’
Dreosto stressed that Trieste and the broader Friuli Venezia Giulia region could serve as a crucial IMEC node, connecting the Mediterranean to Northern and Eastern Europe.
Vas Shenoy, founder of the Indo-Mediterranean Initiative and Chief Representative for Italy of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, also addressed the gathering. ‘The Indo-Mediterranean is the birthplace of humanity and of all major religions—Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism’, he said. ‘For trade to succeed, trust is essential. Italy and India provide that trust.’
Shenoy called for the development of a dedicated India–Italy maritime corridor, highlighting Italian ports like Trieste, Genoa, and southern gateways as strategic entry points for Indian trade into Europe and Africa. ‘The India–Italy relationship is historic, dating back to Roman times. It can now help anchor peace and stability in the Indo-Mediterranean region during these volatile times’, he concluded.
