Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy recently participated in the Astana International Forum (AIF), a vital platform for international dialogue and cooperation hosted by Kazakhstan. In her address, Meloni emphasized the importance of the forum and Kazakhstan’s crucial role as a geopolitical and strategic hub bridging Europe and Asia.
Expressing her gratitude to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the Kazakh government for their invitation and warm welcome, Meloni stressed that her visit was “not just protocol, but of substance,” aiming to deepen the friendship between Italy and Kazakhstan through concrete facts and strategic collaboration.
She highlighted the historic nature of the forum and the first Italy-Central Asia Summit held in Astana, stating:
“This visit also marks a historic moment in our relations, the first Summit between Italy and the five Central Asian Nations… I am certain it will be a decisive moment to intensify our relations, and make them even more sound, long-lasting, and strategic.”
Meloni underscored Italy’s pioneering role in fostering relations with Central Asia:
“Italy was the first Nation in the EU to decide to invest in relations with Central Asia and its individual member Nations, launching a permanent format in order to share ideas.”
She echoed the thoughts of geopolitical scholar Halford Mackinder by describing Central Asia as a pivotal crossroads:
“Central Asia represents one of the ‘pivots’ around which the fate of the world revolves… Kazakhstan occupies a strategic role in the global scenario, especially in difficult times as those we are in.”
Highlighting Kazakhstan’s unique position as a bridge between continents, Meloni added:
“There is no better place than here to ponder the connections that bind us and those we can build… Partners who are capable of seeing the chessboard as a whole, and not just the single quadrant that apparently concerns them most closely.”
The Prime Minister also emphasized concrete areas of cooperation:
“I am thinking of the energy sector… critical raw materials… environmental challenges, like the Aral Sea… digital and physical infrastructures, with the Middle Corridor as a promising challenge.”
She concluded with a call for courage and vision in a changing world:
“We can take refuge in the now faded certainties of the past, or we can try to look beyond, showing the courage that our peoples expect from us.”
Prime Minister Meloni’s participation at the Astana International Forum signals a strengthened partnership between Italy and Kazakhstan and reinforces Kazakhstan’s growing influence as a key actor in regional and global affairs.
