Trieste's port gateway to the Indo-Pacific

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, APR 2 - According to an op-ed published on The National Interest, Trieste's geographical and geopolitical advantages, rich history, and cultural diversity position it as the "preeminent European gateway to the Indo-Pacific and the engine driving India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)," unveiled at the 2023 G20 Summit in India.
    "Trieste's proximity to major European cities like Vienna, Munich, and Milan, along with its unparalleled access to Europe's industrial heartland of northern Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and parts of Eastern Europe, positions it as Europe's prime entrepôt for eastern trade," wrote Kaush Arha, President of the Free & Open Indo-Pacific Forum and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and Paolo Messa, another nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Trieste, which already handles roughly 70% of Turkish imports to Europe, could become as important to Europe's trade with the Indo-Pacific as Rotterdam is to the Atlantic, benefiting the interests of the United States, Europe, and Indo-Pacific nations alike, according to Arha and Messa. Both Arha and Messa emphasised that Trieste's resurgence is largely due to recent history and the Port's president, Zeno D'Agostino.
    Furthermore, Italy's presidency of the G7 this year is critical in cementing and advancing the Trieste-Monfalcone region as the focal point of Europe's pivot to the Indo-Pacific. According to the article, Italy should modernise road and rail infrastructure to better connect Trieste with Central and Eastern Europe, as well as provide national and local tax incentives and zoning concessions to promote the country's national shipbuilding industry, which is based in Trieste-Monfalcone. Finally, the Italian government should advocate for a Trieste Investment Forum in close collaboration with American, European, Middle Eastern, and Indo-Pacific partners. (ANSA).