Italy “in favour” of Saudi Arabia joining GCAP, says PM

Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has spoken in favour of Saudi Arabia’s participation in the Global Combat Air Programme, according to Reuters.

Meloni said that while Italy would be “in favour” of Saudi Arabia entering GCAP, she also noted that it would “not be immediate”. 

This is the first time that Italy’s Prime Minister has explicitly spoken about the possibility of the country joining the multi-national initiative, consolidating comments from the country's Foreign Minister that GCAP could be ‘extended’ to the Gulf nation in November 2024.

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The comment from the Italian PM in Bahrain came as the country signed a number of agreements worth a cumulative US$10 billion between Italy and Saudi Arabia on 26 January.

Part of this collection of agreements saw Italian company Leonardo, one of the three prime industry contractors in GCAP, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabian industry to boost cooperation in aerospace and defence.

It specifically noted that the MoU would expand on the 2024 MoU to see “a further expansion of the industrial collaboration in the Combat Air and helicopter fields”.

Saudi Arabia’s possible involvement in GCAP had also been raised by the UK, with the country noting in its recent Defence Committee Review that bringing in any new partners into the programme – like Saudi Arabia – would need a ‘cautious’ approach.

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