OPINION - Turkish-Italian relations: 4th Italy-Türkiye Intergovernmental Summit

• For Rome, the key role of Türkiye in Europe is indisputable; in this regard, Meloni thanked Erdogan for his mediation on Ukraine and for constraining irregular migration toward Europe

The author is the scientific director of the Observatory on Türkiye at the Rome-based think tank CeSPI.

ISTANBUL

The 4th Italy-Türkiye Intergovernmental Summit, held in Rome on April 29, crowns the historic friendship between the two countries and elevates their relationship to a new level of strategic partnership. The visit of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirms an extraordinary relationship that hinges on several complementarities in various sectors, including the political and diplomatic ones. At a bilateral level, it would not be unreasonable to assert that we are witnessing a new phase of crucial importance, as it is also proven by the signature of over ten agreements in many fields under the competence of different ministries, from social affairs to culture and tourism, but also business and technology, science, sports, and work.

With an eye to both the present and the future, several agreements focus on R&D and scientific cooperation in innovative sectors -- raw-material extraction, the blue economy, and the space economy. The memorandum of understanding signed by the two space agencies aims to foster cooperation in peaceful space activities. The strong mutual collaboration is also visible at the “people-to-people” level -- through sports diplomacy and the joint hosting of the EURO 2032.

Economic aspects of Turkish-Italian relation

Besides, many other issues were on the table, and they were tackled with the sole objective of further strengthening the bilateral relationship. Prime Minister Meloni and President Erdogan issued a joint declaration aiming to increase bilateral trade to $40 billion in the medium term. It is an ambitious goal, which, however, reflects the positive trend of the economic data in terms of greater business potential. The bilateral trade flow has long been recording constant growth; in 2019, it stood at $19 billion, in 2023 it reached $26 billion, and it sealed $32 billion in 2024. The significant increase signals the great resilience and recovery capacity of both Italy and Türkiye, especially in the post-pandemic world and at a time of global economic turmoil. However, it pivots on the traditional congruence of the respective industrial and business sectors by recording important numbers in the presence of Italian companies and investments in Türkiye and increasing growth of the Turkish companies in Italy. With a well-balanced bilateral exchange and a complementary business environment, today Italy ranks as Türkiye's first partner in the Mediterranean and the second within the European area. As the Minister of Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, defined, "Italy and Türkiye are the two lungs of economic growth in the Euro-Mediterranean," an area where they historically belong.

Two lungs of the Euro-Mediterranean

Here, the Turkish-Italian collaboration is destined to mark a new geopolitical direction that starts from South Europe and crosses the Mediterranean towards Southeast Asia. Therefore, in a moment of great global volatility and unpredictability, in which the challenges are many and of a different nature, the goal is to consolidate the Turkish-Italian axis, aiming at reducing any critical impact. Under this vision, a large delegation of entrepreneurs and business leaders accompanied the heads of state at a business forum to explore cooperation opportunities in key sectors such as energy, circular economy, advanced manufacturing, with particular attention to innovation and new technologies; infrastructure, connectivity and defense. Enforcing supply chains through joint actions and investments allows Italy and Türkiye to play a key international role also in the perspective of strategic independence. The synergies are expressed on multiple levels in a geographical area where both Ankara and Rome have the historical responsibility of guaranteeing stability and security.

Regarding energy, cooperation is tangible with several dossiers: Türkiye is recognized as a key partner in the TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) project, and Italian investments related to the Sakarya field are increasing. Nevertheless, defense is the rising star of the new Turkish-Italian partnership. During the Summit, Leonardo and Baykar sealed their memorandum of understanding by leading towards the production of Turkish unmanned drones (UAVs) on Italian soil. This is to be considered a successful joint venture, to be read also in light of the one already finalized by Koc and Whirlpool. The growing synergies are therefore destined to increase the respective investments, also in view of joint ventures and integration towards third markets. This vision is also confirmed by the attention that Meloni and Erdogan give to the international dossiers. For Rome, the key role of Türkiye in Europe is indisputable; in this regard, Meloni thanked Erdogan for his mediation on Ukraine and for constraining irregular migration toward Europe. The convergence on the need to stabilize Syria and guarantee the territorial integrity, together with a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and a joint commitment to stabilize Libya, were the main points of the bilateral talks. All issues were discussed in a climate of great cordiality and friendship. As a matter of fact, the 4th Intergovernmental Summit demonstrates once again the "extraordinary role of Türkiye as a friendly country, ally and strategic partner," Meloni said. As Erdogan acknowledged "Meloni's 'courage' in boosting Turkish-Italian cohesion,” there are reasons to believe that the new dimension of Italy and Türkiye relations and the solidity of the Turkish-Italian axis as the main point of reference for regional and international dynamics have been sealed in Rome.

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Anadolu's editorial policy.