President Kast Meets Giorgia Meloni in Rome to Discuss Security
President José Antonio Kast arrived in Rome on Tuesday for a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Palacio Chigi, where the two leaders discussed security, organized crime, and irregular immigration during an express European tour, eldesconcierto.cl reported.
The Italian prime minister welcomed the Chilean head of state with a handshake and a kiss on each cheek, accompanied by honors from the Montebello Lancers Regiment. The delegation accompanying Kast included Senate President Paulina Núñez, Chamber of Deputies President Jorge Alessandri, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Pérez Mackenna.
Bilateral Talks on Security and Border Control
During the meeting, the leaders focused heavily on border control and strategies to combat transnational criminal networks. According to adnradio.cl, the agenda also covered the ratification of the Advanced Framework Agreement between Chile and the European Union, alongside bilateral economic cooperation and investment.
Italy’s approach to migration served as a primary point of interest for the Chilean delegation. European Border and Coast Guard Agency data cited by eldesconcierto.cl shows that Italy registered over 16,000 foreign arrivals by sea or unauthorized crossings this year. That figure marks a 55 percent decrease compared to 2025 and an 80 percent drop from 2023 figures.
Since taking office in 2022, Meloni’s administration has deployed stringent border measures, including an extraterritorial detention agreement with Albania. That model involves intercepting migrants from designated safe countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt, then transferring them to centers on Albanian territory administered by Italian border guards. Amnesty International has criticized the agreement as disastrous for the safety and fundamental rights of the migrants involved.
Italy Established Foundational Legal Tools Against Organized Crime
Kast highlighted Italy as a key reference point for dismantling organized crime and drug trafficking networks. Italy established its foundational legal tools against syndicates through the 1982 introduction of the mafia-type association offense under Article 416 bis of the Penal Code, which penalized intimidation, associative ties, and the code of silence known as omertà.
The legislative framework expanded in 1991 with protections for justice collaborators, or pentiti, designed to break internal organization silences. This was followed in 1992 by legislation targeting political-mafia electoral exchanges to sever ties between organized crime and elected officials. These statutes were consolidated in 2011 into a unified Antimafia Code, introducing preventive surveillance measures and the seizure of unjustified assets.
Following the discussions at the Palacio Chigi, Kast scheduled a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and a subsequent press conference in Rome, where adnradio.cl noted he was expected to address domestic political controversies back home, including criticisms directed at Justice Minister Fernando Rabat.
Disclaimer: The views and cultural analyses presented in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Information regarding legal disputes or financial data is based on available public records.