Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers on Wednesday amid efforts to secure additional gas supplies as the US-Israel-Iran war upends global energy flows and intensifies competition across Europe.

In a joint press statement, the two leaders did not announce detailed new plans for energy cooperation but hinted at the urgency of boosting ties. “We have decided to strengthen our solid and lasting cooperation — a cooperation that also encompasses our two flagship national companies, Eni and Sonatrach — by exploring new prospects such as offshore exploration. This will, in the medium and long term, enhance gas supply flows from Algeria to Italy,” said Meloni in the statement.

The visit comes days after Qatar declared force majeure on key liquefied natural gas contracts following Iranian strikes on its Ras Laffan export complex, which took an estimated 17% of the country’s production capacity offline and could take years to be repaired. The disruption is reverberating through Europe, where countries are scrambling to replace lost Gulf supplies and gas prices have soared by as much as 90% in recent weeks.

Meloni’s trip underscores how Algeria — already Italy’s main gas supplier via the TransMed pipeline — has once again become central to Europe’s energy security calculations. Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares Bueno is expected in Algiers Thursday, highlighting a renewed scramble among European buyers for limited North African supplies.