Rome: The official visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the Italian Republic represents a continuation of the distinguished relations between the two countries and a reinforcement of their strategic paths, based on the longstanding ties between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Italy, which are built on a long history of understanding, respect, and joint coordination.
According to Bahrain News Agency, this visit reflects the attention that Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, accords to developing partnerships and expanding avenues of cooperation with other states in a manner that serves common goals and interests, enhances sustainable development in the Kingdom across all sectors, and aligns with its mission of promoting the values of peace, dialogue, and civilisational convergence as shared human principles that contribute to consolidating security and advancing stability and development.
The visit of HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister gains added importance in terms of its substance and timing, as it provides an opportunity to discuss means of developing strategic relations across all domains, particularly economic, trade, investment, and development, through the meetings that His Royal Highness is scheduled to hold with senior officials in Italy. These discussions will focus on enhancing bilateral cooperation and building on past achievements in different aspects of the strategic partnership between the two countries, in addition to reviewing recent developments in the region and the world in light of current international circumstances, which require greater coordination and continuous consultation to advance efforts to establish global peace.
The visit of HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister underlines the mutual appreciation of both countries for the strategic importance each represents at the regional and international levels, with Italy being a key state in global decision-making, possessing a long-standing civilisational legacy, and occupying a strong position in the international community, the European Union, and NATO, in addition to its role in the global economic system. Bahrain, meanwhile, holds a central strategic position in the Arabian Gulf, has pursued a model of sustainable development, and follows a political and diplomatic approach based on the importance of promoting peace and coexistence, which has led to close alignment of both countries’ outlooks on many regional and international issues.
Over the past decades, Bahrain-Italy relations have maintained steady momentum at all levels, guided by a strategic vision based on respect and cooperation. The two countries also hold common positions on many shared issues, including the security of the Arabian Gulf, the stability of the Middle East, combating terrorism, addressing climate change, and fostering dialogue between civilisations and cultures. This has contributed to developing bilateral relations in means that support joint engagement not only on the national level but also within the wider Gulf-European framework.
Mutual official visits between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Italian Republic reflect the longstanding ties and their commitment to advancing them. These include the visit of His Majesty the King to Rome in July 2025, as well as the visits in October 2023 and July 2008, all of which provided opportunities to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international matters of common interest. They also include the visits of HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to Italy, the most recent of which was in February 2020, when His Royal Highness inaugurated the Embassy of Bahrain in Rome. This was followed by the opening of the Italian Embassy in Bahrain in 2022, and an earlier visit in 2015, when HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister attended the inauguration of the Bahrain Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015, which was awarded the silver prize by the international jury as the second-best building under the architectural criteria adopted by the organisers, in terms of sustainable design and aesthetic merit.
On the Italian side, the visit of Her Excellency Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, to Bahrain in January 2025 marked a milestone in bilateral relations, as it was the first official visit by an Italian Prime Minister to the Kingdom. It was held in response to an invitation by His Majesty the King, and formed part of HE Prime Minister Meloni’s regional tour to enhance cooperation between Italy and GCC states, while addressing regional and international issues of joint concern.
The visit underscored Italy’s appreciation of Bahrain, with HE Giorgia Meloni confirming to the Italian press that Bahrain represents a leading model in advancing dialogue between religions and cultures. Her Excellency commended the Kingdom’s efforts in consolidating the values of coexistence and civilisational dialogue, and noted that bilateral relations have advanced within the framework of established strategic cooperation, serving the shared interests of both sides.
Economic cooperation is one of the most significant dimensions of Bahrain-Italy relations, given Italy’s role in the global economy and its advanced industrial development, particularly in engineering, technology, and automotive sectors. Bahrain represents a favourable investment environment for Italian companies due to its modern infrastructure, its position in the Arabian Gulf, and its economic openness.
Relations date back to 1973, and bilateral trade has grown steadily, with total non-oil trade reaching 779 million US dollars in 2024, positioning Italy as the Kingdom’s leading European trading partner that year. Multiple agreements and memoranda of understanding have been signed, covering investment protection, avoidance of double taxation in air and maritime transport, cooperation in oil, gas, renewable energy, commerce, investment, and culture.
Bahrain currently hosts more than 130 Italian companies and partners benefitting from its strategic location. Among the recent entrants was the Italian pasta producer “Barilla,” which opened an office in the Kingdom in 2025, alongside the expansion announcement by “Racing Force,” a manufacturer of motor racing equipment, to increase its production capacity of “Bell Racing” helmets in Bahrain.
In 2020, the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) opened its office in Bahrain following an agreement with the Economic Development Board, aimed at promoting bilateral economic and trade ties and supporting investment in strategic sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, financial services, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), tourism, construction, and energy.
In April 2025, a Bahraini delegation headed by Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance and National Economy, along with ministers and senior officials, visited Rome, Parma, and Milan. The delegation held official engagements focused on economic and trade relations and promoting investment opportunities in Bahrain’s priority sectors, including financial services, ICT, industry, logistics, and tourism.
Bahrain and Italy also cooperate closely in cultural domains, including literature, arts, heritage, and tourism. Reciprocal artistic and cultural events take place throughout the year, alongside joint initiatives promoting global peace and interfaith dialogue. An example is the establishment in November 2018, under the patronage of His Majesty the King, of the “King Hamad Chair for Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence” at Sapienza University in Rome, which demonstrates the Kingdom’s commitment to fostering understanding and tolerance among diverse communities.
Bahrain and Italy maintain multiple joint committees spanning areas such as economy, investment, and defence. Meetings between senior officials are held regularly, with exchanges of delegations to discuss cooperation frameworks. In June 2023, Rome hosted the inaugural meeting of the Bahrain-Italy Joint Committee, chaired by the foreign ministers of both countries, which reviewed cooperation across various sectors.
The visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the Italian Republic opens new horizons for advancing bilateral cooperation and furthering the partnership between the two countries in means that serve their common interests.