Rome (TDI): UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed held discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his visit to Rome on Monday, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing the partnership between the UAE and Italy.
According to the official statement released by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italian Prime Minister Meloni expressed her hope that the visit of UAE President would serve as a significant catalyst for advancing cooperation between the two nations in every sector.
President Zayed noted that UAE-Italy relations date back to the first year of the UAE’s founding as a nation and have grown over the years into a strategic partnership.
He also highlighted the UAE’s commitment to achieving the aims of this partnership and cooperation and elevating it to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership to serve the interests of both nations and their peoples.
I was pleased to meet with Prime Minister of Italy @GiorgiaMeloni to discuss opportunities to further strengthen the longstanding strategic partnership between our countries and close people-to-people ties. The UAE and Italy share a vision of global progress and prosperity, and… pic.twitter.com/eSrFhhGmBs
— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) February 24, 2025
Notably, the UAE announced on Monday that it will invest worth of $40 billion into Italy amid continued growth in bilateral trade between both countries.
Sheikh Mohamed highlighted that non-oil trade between the UAE and Italy had surpassed $14 billion last year, reflecting a 21.2 percent growth compared to 2023.
He expressed optimism that further cooperation and trade between the countries would continue to thrive.
Furthermore, Mohammed bin Zayed also underscored the cultural dimension of UAE-Italy relations and the two countries’ commitment to strengthening cultural exchange and collaboration while deepening people-to-people ties.
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Additionally, the leaders also expressed a shared commitment to advancing cooperation in science and technology particularly, space exploration and fostering innovation.
The UAE and Italy agreed to explore new avenues for collaboration.
They agreed to work together on defense technology by researching and developing new ideas, sharing technical skills, and improving the maintenance and upgrading of defense equipment.
The military industry partnership between both countries will focus on making defense equipment together, sharing technology, and building factories for defense manufacturing.
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For security, they agreed to cooperate on fighting terrorism, protecting against cyber threats, sharing important information, and responding to natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies together.
The meeting specifically addressed areas such as the economy, investment, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy, military and security cooperation to strengthen defense capabilities, development and promote regional stability.
Areeba Kanwal is a contributor at The Diplomatic Insight and has passion for International Relations and diplomacy.
