MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei and Meloni meet for two hours in Rome

The Argentine leader arrived earlier Friday in the Italian capital

Argentine President Javier Milei met Friday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Rome's Palazzo Chigi to oversee the signing of an energy agreement between YPF and ENI for the “Argentina LNG” project, aimed at exploiting and exporting gas from Vaca Muerta using floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) technology.

The project, involving major companies like Shell and Pampa Energía, is expected to generate over US$ 100 billion in exports over 20 years, positioning the South American country as a top LNG exporter by 2031. Both companies are to reach the FID (Final Investment Decision) by December, it was also explained. This new step in the strategic relationship between both companies involves the joint association in the whole LNG value chain, from the production of gas from Vaca Muerta (Upstream), transportation, and liquefaction to its subsequent export through the “floating LNG” technology. The initiative involves the installation of two floating units with a capacity of 6 MTPA each (Million tons per year). The first vessel is expected to become operational in 2029.

Both heads of Government also adopted the Italy-Argentina Action Plan 2025-2030 to strengthen bilateral ties, focusing on shared values, EU-Mercosur collaboration, and issues like Ukraine and transnational crime.

Milei and Meloni held a two-hour encounter focused “on strengthening the already strong bilateral partnership between Italy and Argentina, founded on shared values and a deep historical-cultural bond between the two nations,” a joint statement read. They also “adopted today the Italy-Argentina Action Plan 2025-2030, which had been announced during the Premier's visit to Buenos Aires in November 2024 - with the aim of giving greater impetus and strategic projection to the relationship between Italy and Argentina by identifying specific objectives and instruments,” it went on.

The Argentine leader arrived earlier Friday in the Italian capital alongside Presidential Secretary and sister Karina Milei and Spokesman Manuel Adorni.

On Saturday, Milei is to meet with Pope Leo XIV and then fly to Madrid for an Economic Forum, before going to Nice, France, for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, among other engagements. Then he will leave for Tel Aviv to ratify his support for Israel in the face of the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas and the anti-Semitic wave sweeping the world.

Milei will become the third Latin American president to meet with the new pontiff after Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Dina Boluarte of Peru.

Earlier this week, Pope Leo XIV met with the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Monsignor Jorge García Cuerva, who during the May 25 celebrations underlined the critical situation of many Argentines under Milei following the Libertarian's “chainsaw” adjustments.