Italian firms' interest in Türkiye set to grow

ROME

Italian firms' interest in Türkiye is growing and will continue to do so, according to the presidency's investment office, as bilateral relations advance across politics, trade and defense cooperation.

Bekir Polat, deputy head of the Investment Office, told Anadolu Agency in Rome that Türkiye and Italy are currently in a strategic partnership phase, with significant developments following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's official visit earlier this year.

During a two-day visit to Rome, the focus was on highlighting Türkiye's developments over the past 20 years, its investment environment, incentives, trade opportunities and human resources to Italian investors.

"We had an intense two-day program. We met with companies from various sectors and invited them to Türkiye," he said.

Polat highlighted the balanced $32 billion trade volume between the two countries, with a target to reach $40 billion.

"Looking at Italian firms' presence in Türkiye, there are over 1,600 Italian companies with a total investment exceeding $5 billion," he added.

Polat identified strong sectors for collaboration, including aviation, defense, energy, logistics, machinery, infrastructure, tourism and gastronomy.

"We will continue working with our Italian friends and companies in a win-win framework for both countries. I hope we achieve positive results," Polat stated.

Polat observed strong Italian interest in Türkiye: "There is significant goodwill from Italy toward Türkiye. Similarly, we see Turkish firms' interest in Italy."

"In the near future, for 2026, we have concrete projects in terms of investments and events in both Istanbul and here for cooperation," he said.

"We had very good meetings on how both countries can support each other in funds and ventures. We saw Italian firms' interest in Türkiye and believe it will continue to grow. As the Presidency Investment Office, we will support them," he concluded.