Meloni Warns NATO of Threats from Russia and China in Africa

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned fellow NATO leaders not to lose sight of potential threats off the alliance’s southern flank, as most attention is being focused to the east.

In a Wednesday meeting in Washington, the Italian premier produced a map that showed Russian and Chinese influence in Africa, according to people familiar with the matter.

Meloni drew attention to the fact that Russia and China are increasingly present in Africa — which is on the European Union’s southern doorstep — and she said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization can’t afford to remain indifferent to the challenges and opportunities on the continent, one of the people said.

A spokesperson from the Italian government didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.

The US State Department has accused Moscow and Beijing before of running disinformation campaigns in Africa aimed at undermining the west in the so-called global south. Other concerns, include Russia weaponizing migration flows, which have fueled anti-immigration sentiment in Europe, and driving political instability in the Sahel region.

For its part, China has established significant influence in many African countries by providing billions of dollars in loans and grants to spend on infrastructure projects. The European Union and US have looked to respond to what some describe as a global battle of offers with an infrastructure program of their own.

A NATO statement released on Wednesday said the alliance’s “southern neighborhood provides opportunities for cooperation on issues of mutual interest,” and adopted an action plan for a stronger, more strategic and result-oriented approach, which will be regularly updated.

NATO will also soon appoint a special representative for the southern neighborhood, the statement added.

EU-Africa Relations

Meloni has made a focus on Africa a central pillar of Italian foreign policy. At a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders last month in Italy, her government pushed an initiative to expand food and energy security projects with the continent. The projects also aim to develop critical infrastructure projects and boost collaboration between the Italian and African governments.

The moves are part of a broader push by Meloni to expand Italy’s influence on the global stage by presenting Rome as a hinge between the West and the rest of the world.

After leaving Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative last year, Meloni is due to travel to Beijing in the coming weeks where she will have to walk a fine line between her desire to deepen economic ties with China and Europe’s criticism of several of the Asian nation’s policies.

NATO leaders meeting in Washington this week issued their strongest accusation toward China’s support for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “decisive enabler.”

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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