Bangladesh, Dec. 15 -- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melonis participation in the recent Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Bahrain marked more than a diplomatic courtesy call. It signaled a deliberate strategic pivot by Rome toward the Gulf and, more broadly, toward a reimagined Mediterranean role that bridges Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In a speech rich with historical references and geopolitical ambition, Meloni framed Italy as a natural partner for the GCC-a country shaped by geography and history to engage across cultures without losing its own identity. Her message was clear: Italy sees the Gulf not as a peripheral region but as central to its future economic, political, and security calculus.

Melonis language was tel...