Italian PM Giorgia Meloni to visit Dhaka in December

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to visit Dhaka in December, with preparations underway for her trip after Christmas.

The information was confirmed by diplomatic sources in Dhaka and Rome.

Meloni was expected in Dhaka on August 30, but her visit was postponed due to complexities arising from the Russia–Ukraine war, which also affected her planned visits to Bangladesh, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan.

A Foreign Ministry official said that preparations are being made for her visit during the last week of December. Security clearance is still pending, but authorities expect all arrangements to be completed soon.

This will be the first visit to Dhaka by a top European Union leader under the interim government led by Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus, highlighting its special significance. During the visit, discussions are expected on immigration, defense, and trade.

Last September, Professor Yunus met Prime Minister Meloni at the UN General Assembly in New York, where both sides pledged closer cooperation. In May, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi’s visit to Dhaka confirmed the upcoming trip.

For context, former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi visited Dhaka in 1998, marking the first visit of an Italian PM to Bangladesh. Giorgia Meloni’s upcoming trip will be the second-ever visit by an Italian head of government.