During a whirlwind visit to Algiers, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni discussed gas imports and geopolitical tensions, while cautiously addressing the Western Sahara issue and calling for a solution in line with the United Nations' vision. DR ‹ › Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a brief visit to Algiers, focusing primarily on the strategic issue of Italian gas imports from Algeria, amid heightened geopolitical tensions linked to the war in the Middle East since February 28. Following talks with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Meloni briefly addressed the issue of Western Sahara. Speaking to the press, she said the matter had been discussed with her Algerian counterpart, adding: «We have called for a solution» that «aligns with the vision of the United Nations». However, Meloni placed greater emphasis on instability in the Sahel and irregular migration across the Mediterranean. In her remarks, she avoided references to the «self-determination of the Sahrawi people» or to «direct negotiations» between Morocco and the Polisario Front, positions previously highlighted in November 2021 in Algiers by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, whose role is largely ceremonial. For his part, Tebboune stated that Algeria and Italy support a «just solution» to the Western Sahara issue, ensuring «the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter and Security Council resolutions». The Algerian president also reaffirmed both countries' support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura. Italian caution The position expressed in Algiers aligns with the joint communiqué issued after the fifth session of the Italy-Algeria intergovernmental summit, held on July 23, 2025, in Rome and co-chaired by Meloni and Tebboune. Paragraph 29 of the document states that both parties «reiterated their support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy… to restart direct negotiations and reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, in accordance with the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter and relevant Security Council resolutions». Italy has also previously «welcomed the serious and credible efforts made by Morocco» to resolve the dispute. In July 2023, following talks between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, Rome reaffirmed its support for the UN-led political process aimed at achieving a «just, realistic, pragmatic, durable, and mutually acceptable» solution, based on compromise and in line with Security Council Resolution 2654.
