Meloni’s visit to Uzbekistan postponed due to Pope’s death

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has postponed her scheduled visit to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan this week due to the death of Pope Francis. This was reported by Nur.kz, citing the press secretary of the President of Kazakhstan, Ruslan Jeldybay.

According to Jeldybay, the visit was postponed at the request of the Italian side. As a result, both Meloni’s official visit to Kazakhstan and the first Central Asia–Italy summit have been delayed. The Italian Prime Minister will instead participate in mourning events for the late pontiff.

“The new dates of the visit are being agreed upon by both sides. We will inform you about the exact dates later,” Jeldybay stated.

Pope Francis reportedly passed away on April 21 at the age of 88 following a stroke that led to severe and irreversible heart failure, according to a Vatican-issued death certificate. Medical reports also cited multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectasis, high blood pressure, and acute respiratory failure caused by type 2 diabetes among the contributing factors.

The funeral for Pope Francis is scheduled to take place on April 26. Among the expected attendees are U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

It was previously announced that Giorgia Meloni would make an official visit to Uzbekistan on April 25–26, and to Kazakhstan on April 26–27 at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The first “Central Asia – Italy” summit was also scheduled to be held on April 27 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.