
First Italian Prime Minister on an official visit to the Kingdom after 15 years
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Giorgia Meloni is the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit Norway after 15 years.
Energy, critical materials, defense, industrial partnerships, technological innovation. These are some of the dossiers that will be addressed in today's mission to Norway by Giorgia Meloni, the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit the Kingdom in 15 years, which thus aims to strengthen the relationship between the two countries and create new opportunities for businesses. The Prime Minister is expected in Oslo at around 4.40pm at the Government Guest House, where she will have a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, followed by talks extended to official delegations and, around 6pm, by statements to the press from the two leaders. Then a working dinner will take place, with the participation of representatives of the main Norwegian and Italian companies, including Leonardo, Fincantieri and Saipem.
The issues on the table
Among the themes at the center of Meloni's mission are international dossiers, from the war in Ukraine to the one in Iran, from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to the Arctic, bilateral collaboration on critical raw materials, defense and security, space and the underwater dimension, and cooperation in Africa, also through the Mattei Plan and Norwegian development cooperation initiatives, identifying possible convergences on energy, infrastructure and sustainable development.
The strategic role of Oslo
As in other of her approximately 130 missions abroad, the prime minister also designed this one to "fill a gap" towards a country that is considered strategic. It is the main European supplier of natural gas, contributing to the continent's energy security, and produces around 2 million barrels of oil per day, yet - according to local media - there is no shortage of political controversy over the price of fuel and high excise duties, which resurfaced after two weeks of national mourning for the death of King Harald V. Among other things, the Norwegian Oil & Gas sector represents a market for Italian producers of taps, valves, pipes, steel pipes and cables, pumps and compressors.
Cooperation in different sectors
Norway, however, is also strategic due to the financial strength of the sovereign fund, the largest asset manager in the world, which also holds government bonds and shares and bonds of dozens of Italian companies. In June, during the visit to Norway by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the intention was shared to strengthen cooperation not only in the energy sector, but also in the space and defense sectors, also within the framework of collaboration between NATO allied countries.
The program and objectives
The leaders of some large Italian companies will participate in a dinner with also representatives of the Norwegian business world, after the bilateral meeting (followed by joint statements to the press) between Meloni and Jonas Gahr Store, Labor prime minister and former soldier, with whom the prime minister has an excellent relationship, explain Italian sources. As far as we know, the possibility of collaborations on the submarine dimension is also on the table, with Norway interested in Italian technologies. We are working on industrial and technological partnerships in high value-added sectors.
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Joint press statements by the two leaders in Oslo
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