An Italian presence in Greenland could be evaluated, but in the NATO framework without the idea of moving with “divisive intentions” compared to Donald Trump’s USA which, yes, has “assertive” methods but not so much as to reach “a military intervention on the ground”.
Giorgia Meloni explains Rome’s line on the Arctic at the end of her visit to Tokyo, where she found a “like-minded ally” who is always better to have in an international context in which “certainties decrease” more and more every day.
Visit to Tokyo and relations with Japan
There was an “immediate connection with Sanae Takaichi, you saw”, the prime minister told reporters summoned to the Italian embassy, where she also met over a dozen top management of the main Japanese companies before leaving the Japanese capital for Seoul, the last stop on her mission in Asia.
Personal diplomacy and the human side of international relations
The outcome of the third visit to Japan is very positive for the prime minister, who also defines herself as an “expert” in K-pop – thanks to her daughter Ginevra, who is following her this week away from Rome.
And she received from her counterpart not only greetings and a birthday cake but also “compliments” for her skill in using chopsticks at the table. What he calls “the human side” of international relations, which “does no harm” for establishing relationships in “other geopolitical quadrants”, such as that of the Indo-Pacific, without prejudice to the fact that “the references” are the European Union and the United States.
Artic Endurance mission and transatlantic relations
And according to the prime minister, the choices of some European countries that have already announced their participation in the Artic Endurance mission should not be interpreted as a “divisive desire” on the other side of the Atlantic.
Just as the “concerns” on trade shared with the Japanese Prime Minister in the joint declaration cannot be read as referring to the American ally, the Prime Minister points out, reiterating – in the hours in which Trump however threatens new duties to anyone who should hinder him on Greenland – her “opposition” to “tariff barriers raised between allies”.
Arctic strategy and responsibility of NATO allies
For the Arctic it is instead a question of “assuming one’s responsibilities”, in an area that so far “let’s be honest, has been underestimated”.
It is therefore time for “a greater commitment from all allies”, but within NATO, which “has already written that the Arctic is strategic”. It is in this context that we need to move, also to “not go in no particular order”.
In short, it is a “political issue and it will be resolved politically”, underlines Meloni, reiterating that he considers a military ground intervention to be “very difficult”.
Middle East, Gaza and Italy’s role in peace processes
In the hours in which he is in Asia, meanwhile, Trump presented the “executive” members of the Board of Peace for Gaza, for the “political ones we are waiting for the official announcement” – not excluding Italian participation – says Meloni, who recalls how Italy has given its “willingness to have a leading role in the implementation and construction of the peace plan for the Middle East.
Which we consider a unique opportunity – he points out – in a context that remains “very complex and very fragile”. In the meantime, he confirms that his presence at the World Economic Forum in Davos is not expected, unless summits on the Middle East or Kiev take place.
Iran, human rights and the nuclear dossier
In about a quarter of an hour of press time there is also space to reiterate the “solidarity” with the Iranian people and the “condemnation” of Tehran’s repression. “I don’t think that demonstrating for one’s rights can cost one’s life,” he says. The direction must be that of “de-escalation”, a “negotiation” that also allows the “main” dossier with Iran, i.e. the “nuclear” one, to be resolved.