Italy and Central Asia

The Italian government has had diplomatic and political ties with post-Soviet republics since 1991. But like many other EU countries, following 11 September 2001, Italy has developed deeper relations with Central Asian states and with Afghanistan. Italy has supported EU initiatives within the 2007 Strategy for Central Asia. It has promoted cooperation in bilateral and multilateral initiatives through the programmes of international organisations in several fields, such as trade, culture, society and the rule of law. However, the strategic goals of Italy in the region are mainly focused on two issues: energy and security.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognises that ‘Italian strategic interests in Central Asia are focused on the energy sector (following the long-term involvement of the Eni energy company in Kazakhstan) and on regional stability and security threatened by the potential spread of Islamic radicalism’.

Italian troops are involved in Afghanistan within the ISAF mission in the Western region of Herat, which shares borders with Turkmenistan and Iran.Italian involvement in the region is mainly limited to achieving these strategic goals, which reduces its ability to play an active geopolitical role in the region, either as a single player or within the EU strategy. Italy has since 2008 strongly enhanced its political cooperation with Central Asian presidents in an attempt to bolster its position in the region. But even so, the Italian strategy in Central Asia cannot be compared to the level of engagement of the main EU actors, particularly Germany.