Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will attend the annual meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Manama, Bahrain, on Wednesday, marking a rare invitation for a non‑GCC leader as the bloc seeks to deepen economic and strategic ties with Europe.
The gathering is set to bring together the six GCC members: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain, which is hosting the summit for the eighth time.
Sultan Haitham bin Tarik will lead the Omani delegation, and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah will head Kuwait’s group. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who serves as vice president, deputy prime minister and chairman of the Presidential Court, will represent the UAE. Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has received an official invitation, although Doha has not yet announced who will attend on its behalf. Saudi Arabia has also not released details on the composition of its delegation.
One of the more notable elements of this year’s summit is the participation of Meloni. The annual gathering is normally limited to the heads of state and government of member states. Invitations to outside leaders are rare and only a small group have attended over the past two decades, among them Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (2023), Chinese President Xi Jinping (2022), former British Prime Minister Theresa May (2016), former French President Francois Hollande (2015) and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2007).
Italy-Gulf relations
Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has prioritized deepening relationships with Gulf states, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE three times. Her government has also positioned its Mattei Plan — Italy's strategy to promote long-term development and energy partnerships with African states — as a vehicle for joint investment with Gulf partners.
Italy maintains substantial trade and strategic relationships with Gulf states. In 2024, Italian exports to the UAE reached roughly $8.6 billion, up 18% from 2023. Italy also recently formalized a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UAE, including a $40 billion investment commitment by the UAE across energy and sustainable energy, defense, technology and infrastructure in Italy.
For Italy, the Gulf represents a growing market for exports as well as a platform for energy and infrastructure investment in the region and a gateway to deeper economic engagement across Africa. For the Gulf — particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia — Italy offers a diversification of economic and strategic partners beyond traditional allies such as the US and a connection to European financial and trade networks.
Agenda items
According to the Bahrain News Agency, the summit is expected to focus on the drive toward economic integration in the Gulf as well as ways to expand GCC cooperation with friendly states and international economic organizations.
GCC leaders are likely to discuss energy diversification and renewable initiatives. Several member states have set targets to increase the share of clean energy in their grids, as Gulf states try to pivot away from a reliance on oil. Infrastructure and connectivity projects are also expected to feature, like the long-planned Gulf Railway to link all six member states.
Despite these ambitions, significant challenges to deeper bloc-wide integration remain. Intra-GCC trade still accounts for less than 10% of member states’ global exports, whereas the shares in the EU sit at roughly 50% to 60%, according to the International Monetary Fund. Meanwhile, implementing structural reforms, such as streamlining regulations and improving labor mobility, have progressed slowly. Large infrastructure initiatives like the Gulf Railway have faced delays due to lack of coordination and volatile oil prices.
Regional crises are expected to influence the discussions. The war in Gaza dominated the summit in 2024 and is likely to loom large again this year as a ceasefire is nominally in effect, but the post-war direction of the Gaza Strip remains unclear.
Beyond Gaza, the bloc is eyeing the situation in Sudan as another security and humanitarian concern. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are in the so-called Quad, a diplomatic grouping including the US and Egypt working to end Sudan's two-year-long conflict. The UAE is accused of materially and financially supporting Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces — a claim it denies — while Saudi Arabia has urged the Trump administration to take a greater role in ending the conflict.
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