Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday pledged to strengthen ties between their countries, setting an ambitious goal of increasing annual bilateral trade to $45 billion.
Erdoğan arrived in Rome for talks aimed at promoting cooperation and economic deals, particularly in the energy and defense sectors, according to an Italian government source.
“Today we signed a joint declaration that sets a new and truly ambitious target of reaching 40 billion euros [$45 billion] in trade in the medium term,” Meloni said after the meeting.
“The goal we’re seeking with our Turkish partners is to reinforce European and Mediterranean industrial autonomy,” she added.
Italy is Turkey’s second-largest commercial partner in Europe, with bilateral trade totaling $32.2 billion in 2024, according to Italian government figures.
The two leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East ahead of a broader meeting with ministers from both sides, the government source said.
“The aim is to strengthen cooperation and the strategic partnership between the two nations” and to foster “economic and trade relations, which have grown significantly in recent years,” the source said.
The summit comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the European Union, of which Italy is a member, to seek deeper security ties with Turkey, a NATO member and longtime candidate to join the 27-nation bloc.
Amid rising defense spending in response to the war, Italian defense contractor Leonardo and Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar agreed in March to jointly develop unmanned aerial systems.
Migration, a key issue for Meloni’s far-right government, was also high on the agenda, the source said. Ankara has played a central role in recent years in stemming irregular migration to Europe in return for billions of euros in funding from Brussels.
The delegations also planned to discuss cooperation in transport, infrastructure, space and sports. Italy and Turkey are set to co-host the 2032 European Football Championship.
© Agence France-Presse