President Meloni’s press statement at fourth Italy-Türkiye Intergovernmental Summit

Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for being here.

I am very pleased to have welcomed President Erdoğan and his ministers to Rome for this fourth intergovernmental summit between Italy and Türkiye. Our work has been very productive, and I am particularly satisfied with the results we have achieved. The joint declaration we are adopting today confirms the solidity of our Nations’ relationship, and lays the foundations to strengthen our partnership even further. Italy is Türkiye’s largest trading partner in the Mediterranean area, and the second largest in Europe, with a considerable increase in trade over the last years, up from 26 billion in 2023 to the record figure of more than 32 billion dollars in 2024. Italian exports have played a decisive role in these dynamics, recording growth of over 28% in the last year. Our productive and industrial fabrics are characterised by a very high rate of complementarity. More than 400 Italian companies operate in Türkiye, with our entrepreneurs making a significant contribution to manufacturing and infrastructure development and with growing synergies in high potential and value-added sectors. 

This is a very positive scenario, which has allowed us to surpass the target of 30 billion dollars in trade that had been set at the last intergovernmental summit a good five years ahead of schedule, and which today leads us to raise the bar further. We have therefore decided to set a new target: for trade to reach 40 billion dollars in the medium term.

This objective clearly requires a lot of work, but I think we can both count on the strong dynamism of our companies and their ability to create value with mutual investments. As we can see today, major Turkish companies have a growing interest in investing in Italy. This can be seen in the decision by Baykar Technologies to acquire Piaggio Aerospace and, together with Leonardo, create an Italian-Turkish alliance for the development, production and maintenance of unmanned aerial systems. I consider this a significant agreement, providing for the creation of a joint venture based in Italy which will enable the respective strengths to be leveraged and new market opportunities to be opened up, especially in Europe. However, cooperation between Italy and Türkiye is clearly across the board. This can be seen in the many agreements we have signed this morning at government level and the agreements that will be signed later today during the Business Forum, so the Italy-Türkiye Business Forum which will see the participation of more than 500 companies and which myself and President Erdoğan will also be attending. I am thinking, for example, of the agreement between Tim Sparkle and Turkcell to connect Türkiye to Italy and the European telecommunications ecosystem. We will implement a cutting-edge digital backbone stretching approximately 4,000 km, which will cross the Mediterranean and improve connectivity between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

We are also boosting our energy cooperation, in relation to which we are already strategic partners, particularly for the supply of natural gas through the TAP. 

We intend to deepen our cooperation in this area and seize the future opportunities that may arise with regard to both renewables and hydrogen.     

We are also consolidating our cooperation in the areas of space, infrastructure development and transport, starting with high-speed rail, as well as in the enhancement of our rich cultural and archaeological heritages, and sport. As you know, Italy and Türkiye share the responsibility of organising the 2032 European Football Championship together, a great challenge for both our countries.

However, the strategic value of our relationship goes well beyond the economic dimension, with Italy and Türkiye being allied nations in the Euro-Mediterranean scenario and within the Atlantic Alliance. We obviously had a long discussion with President Erdoğan about the major geopolitical crises that have been a top priority for us for a long time now. I thanked President Erdoğan for the mediation work he has been carrying out since the very beginning of Russia’s war of invasion against Ukraine, with particular regard to addressing its impact on food security.

In this context, Italy reiterates its full support for President Trump’s efforts to reach a just and lasting peace. I think the meeting between the American President and the Ukrainian President at St. Peter’s had enormous significance and we clearly all hope this can represent a turning point in this matter. We reiterate our call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire which must last for as long as it takes in order to start a serious process and real peace negotiations. We received the news yesterday of another unilateral declaration by Russia of a three-day ceasefire, limited to the Second World War victory celebrations. Although we acknowledge this initiative, what is needed is something else entirely. We can obviously only reiterate our hope that Russia will concretely demonstrate its willingness to pursue peace, as Ukraine has done. 

We of course also had an exchange of views on the Middle East, and on Gaza in particular, where we are witnessing an increasingly tragic situation. Italy supports Arab countries’ efforts, the efforts being made by Arab countries to work not only on a credible reconstruction plan for the Strip, but also on a framework for peace and lasting security at regional level. 

We agreed on the need to ensure a democratic transition in Syria based on the full inclusion of all members of society, including ethnic and religious minorities. We believe it is crucial to foster Syria’s economic recovery, also to ensure refugees have the opportunity to return to their homes on a voluntary basis and in a safe and sustainable way.

We likewise believe it is fundamental that there be no let-up in the fight against terrorism, an area in which Italy and Türkiye also intend to strengthen their already very effective collaboration. 

We had the opportunity to discuss Libya’s present situation and its future, renewing our common commitment to its full stabilisation through UN mediation. 

We also touched on other points of interest, starting with our cooperation regarding migration, which is working very well and in these years has led to the number of irregular immigrants leaving from the Turkish coast to drop substantially to zero. I wish to thank President Erdoğan and his ministers for this. We intend to keep working in this direction, deepening our cooperation more and more, especially in the fight against organised crime and human traffickers. 

Italy and Türkiye have a long way to go together. We have taken many steps forward with today’s summit, but we are also laying the foundations for further progress to be made in the months and years to come. I think we should be proud of the work we have done together and which I am convinced will enable us to unleash also the untapped potential of our solid friendship. So, thank you again, President Erdoğan, thanks to you and your team, who have worked for the success of this initiative.

[Courtesy translation]