Rome – Baku: A partnership without borders Following Giorgia Meloni’s visit to Azerbaijan

Amid the rapid transformation of Europe’s energy architecture and intensifying competition for reliable resource supplies, the working visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Azerbaijan takes on a distinctly strategic dimension. In this context, the discussion is not limited to bilateral relations alone, but also concerns Azerbaijan’s place in the emerging European energy security system.

The very fact that the visit to Baku followed immediately after the Italian Prime Minister’s participation in the European Political Community summit in Yerevan carries both symbolic and practical significance. In this way, the Italian side demonstrates that, despite the importance of pan-European formats, Rome’s key interest in the South Caucasus is focused on Azerbaijan. Armenia, despite the political attention it receives, remains for the Italian side more a part of a values-driven agenda, whereas Azerbaijan represents a component of a pragmatic strategy.

This was also noted by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during his press remarks: “Your presence in Azerbaijan today is yet another testament to the profound substance of Azerbaijan-Italy relations. Everyone is aware that you were in Armenia today. Completing your program in Armenia and coming to Azerbaijan holds a special, highly symbolic meaning for us; at the same time, it is a clear manifestation of the respect and goodwill shown toward Azerbaijan.”

Today, Italy is Azerbaijan’s foremost strategic partner among major European states and an important market for Azerbaijani hydrocarbons. Thus, in 2025, bilateral trade turnover reached nearly $12 billion. In a context where Europe is seeking to reduce its dependence on traditional suppliers, Baku’s role is significantly increasing.

A key instrument of this transformation has been the Southern Gas Corridor — an infrastructure project that connects the Caspian region with European markets. Its final segment, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), already ensures more than 16% of Italy’s gas consumption. Moreover, this is not a static system: as of January 1 this year, TAP has been capable of transporting an additional 1.2 billion cubic metres of gas per year. This reflects both the growing demand for Azerbaijani “blue fuel” and the expanding geography of its supplies.

If only a few years ago, Azerbaijan exported pipeline gas to 12 countries, today that number has reached 16. In addition, ten EU member states receive Azerbaijani gas, with new destinations including major economies such as Germany and Austria. This is not merely statistics — it is an indicator of trust. European countries, facing instability in global energy markets, are increasingly relying on Azerbaijan as a predictable and reliable partner.

As for Italy, the country ranks second in terms of oil and gas supplies to the Apennine Peninsula: last year, Azerbaijan exported 9.5 billion cubic metres of gas to Italy.

Political relations between Azerbaijan and Italy are also at the highest level. Two documents on strategic partnership have been signed between the two countries, including the Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Within this framework, military-technical cooperation is also developing, which, as President Aliyev noted yesterday, is a promising area.

“Military-technical cooperation — is also promising. This topic was discussed today as well. We have concrete ideas regarding the implementation of joint projects, the organization of joint production, and the combination of Italian technologies with Azerbaijani financial resources,” the president said.

In this context, it should be noted that in April 2026, a delegation led by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Defence, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, paid an official visit to Italy, during which Hasanov met with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto. During the meeting, the sides held an in-depth exchange of views on the further development of cooperation in the military, military-technical, and military-educational spheres, as well as on other issues of mutual interest.

Humanitarian cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy is also expanding. Thus, during the 2025 official visit of Italian President Sergio Mattarella to Azerbaijan, the opening of the first academic buildings of the Italy-Azerbaijan University in Baku took place.

The initiative to establish the Italy-Azerbaijan University was put forward by President Ilham Aliyev during his state visit to Italy in 2020. To implement the project, cooperation agreements were signed in 2022 between ADA University and five leading Italian higher education institutions — LUISS Guido Carli University, Sapienza University of Rome, Polytechnic University of Turin, University of Bologna, and Polytechnic University of Milan.

This cooperation brings Italian expertise in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, creative industries, crafts, and technological development through education and research to Azerbaijan. It plays an important role in training specialists for strategic sectors of the national economy, in particular engineering, agriculture and the food industry, architecture, and design.

The foundation of the Itali-Azerbaijan University buildings in Baku was laid in 2022 with the participation of the foreign ministers of both countries. Student admissions to the university began in 2023 at the master’s level. Today, around 500 students are enrolled in this institution.

Thus, relations between Baku and Rome are acquiring a structural character. This is no longer limited to energy and trade — it is evolving into the integration of economic systems and long-term strategic planning. A confirmation of this course was the joint roadmap signed in January of this year for 2026–2027, which covers a broad range of areas: from energy and infrastructure to space, agricultural trade, tourism, customs cooperation, and demining of liberated territories. Such a level of detail reflects the depth of interaction and the presence of a long-term vision.

Against this backdrop, Giorgia Meloni’s working visit to Baku takes on particular significance. It sends a message both to European partners and to global markets that Rome views Azerbaijan as a central element of its energy doctrine and a gateway to a broader Caspian–European corridor. Moreover, this visit should also be seen as a confirmation of the maturity and resilience of Azerbaijani–Italian relations. This is a partnership based not on conjunctural interests, but on a convergence of strategic priorities, which means it has every chance to become one of the key factors shaping Europe’s economic and energy architecture in the coming decades.