Italy to continue its longtime support for Türkiye's EU bid: Erdoğan
ROME
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday expressed his belief that Italy, which he said has supported the country's EU membership bid "from the very beginning," will continue to do so.
Erdoğan's remarks came during a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, where he attended the 4th Intergovernmental Summit between Türkiye and Italy.
Ankara will continue to strengthen cooperation with Italy, which has made significant progress in the defense industry, through new partnerships and projects, he added.
As two NATO allied countries and strategic partners, Erdoğan said that the ties between the two nations have been improving since their first intergovernmental summit in 2008.
Stating that Ankara and Rome shares valuable alignment on important issues such as security of the Mediterranean, the situation in the Middle East, stability in Europe, and preservation of the transatlantic bond, Erdoğan praised Meloni’s approach to many issues, which he said has had “a significant impact on this harmony.”
“Undoubtedly, another driving force behind these relations is economy and trade. As you know, Italy ranks among the top five countries in our foreign trade. Strong commercial ties we have established in many sectors – particularly in textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and machinery – have enabled us to surpass the $30 billion target we set at our 2022 summit,” he added.
He also announced that during the summit Ankara and Rome set a new bilateral trade volume target of $40 billion.
Expressing Türkiye’s readiness to work with Italy on energy projects in the Mediterranean which will benefit both countries as well as the region, Erdoğan said that the country will continue its cooperation with Italy in the fight against irregular migration in the upcoming period."
Stating that they had discussed topics such as culture, education, sports, and visas during the meeting, Erdoğan said that Cabinet ministers of the both countries had the the opportunity to directly consult with each other on many matters related to all these areas.
Saying that the meeting also addressed regional and global issues, Erdoğan added that Türkiye will continue to work with Italy on long-term sustainable solutions to preserve stability and prosperity in the North African nation of Libya.
Ankara's priority is an immediate return to a ceasefire in Gaza, "where even the entry of humanitarian aid has not been allowed for the past two months," said Erdoğan.
"In Syria, we are currently focused on the country's reconstruction, strengthening its institutions, and preserving its territorial integrity," the Turkish leader added.
In this context, we touched on Italy’s constructive role in Syria and especially the potential for Turkish-Italian cooperation in the reconstruction process. We agreed to continue consultations on this matter,” he said.
"In the context of Europe's security, we addressed the latest developments in Ukraine with the prime minister. We emphasized our strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. As a key actor in ensuring the security of the Black Sea, Türkiye will continue to contribute to efforts aimed at finding a solution.”
Türkiye and Italy signed a joint declaration Tuesday following the summit
“Italy and Türkiye, as NATO Allies and partners in the G20, will continue their close cooperation and coordination on regional and international matters,” the declaration said, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.
Noting that the two countries make important contributions to global peace and stability in Europe and beyond, the declaration said they aim at enhancing their cooperation via “regular consultations at all levels.”
“The Summit has convened at a time of important developments on a regional and global scale, such as the Ukraine-Russia war, emerging debates on the European security architecture as well as international trade, the dire situation in Gaza, continued challenges like irregular migration and climate change, calling for a coherent response and effective collaboration,” it said.
The two countries reaffirmed their agreement to hold the intergovernmental summit on a regular basis and to convene the fifth summit in Türkiye.
On Türkiye and European Union relations, the declaration said that recognizing the contributions of Türkiye to the stability and prosperity of the entire European continent, the parties underlined the importance of developing relations between the EU and Türkiye, taking into account Türkiye’s candidate status to the accession.
“In this vein, the parties agreed to coordinate their efforts to achieve concrete results in key areas such as accelerating the Türkiye-EU Visa Liberalization Dialogue, renewing cooperation on migration and strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation,” it added.
The parties also underlined the immediate need for the modernization of the Türkiye-EU Customs Union, which will have potential benefits for both sides.
Türkiye, Italy sign 11 memorandums of understanding
Türkiye and Italy signed a series of pacts on Tuesday covering such diverse areas as trade, industrial investments, space, culture, sports, social services, archives, transportation, and defense.
Key agreements included a Joint Ministerial Statement between the Turkish Trade Ministry and Italy’s Foreign Ministry to strengthen trade ties.
Another memorandum of understanding was signed between the Turkish Industry and Technology Ministry and Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy to enhance cooperation in science, technology, innovation, industry, and investment.
Other notable memorandums of understanding include those between the Turkish Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency for peaceful space activities, as well as one between the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry and Italy’s Culture Ministry to combat the illicit trade of cultural property.
Additional agreements covered inter-museum cooperation, the promotion of archaeological heritage, and cooperation between the Turkish State Archives and the Italian Culture Ministry’s Archives Directorate.
Another memorandum of understanding was also signed between the Turkish Youth and Sports Ministry and Italy’s Sports and Youth Ministry, along with a cooperation agreement between Türkiye's Family and Social Services Ministry and Italy's Disabilities Ministry.
The Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Ministry and the Italian Infrastructure and Transport Ministry also signed a memorandum of understanding to further strengthen transportation cooperation.
Lastly, a preliminary protocol was signed between Baykar, a leading Turkish drone manufacturer, and Leonardo, one of Europe's largest defense companies.
