Italy PM announces major gas plan on Ethiopia trip

Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has begun a two-day visit to Ethiopia, where she has announced plans for an African energy cooperation deal starting in October.

She says the “Mattei plan” will transform Italy into a major energy hub, taking gas from the Mediterranean and North Africa to European nations.

Italy has increasingly imported gas from Algeria and other African countries rather than Russia.

The Italian government considers the “stability and integrity” of Ethiopia to be a priority for national interest because of its location on the migratory route from the Horn of Africa to Europe, explains Italy’s ANSA newspaper.