Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues.
During the call on Friday, Erdogan said Türkiye is working to strengthen cooperation with Italy in all areas, particularly the defence industry, and stressed the importance of taking new steps to further boost bilateral ties, according to a statement the Communications Directorate posted on X.
Erdogan also said Türkiye expects next week's NATO leaders' summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, to strengthen unity among allies, the statement added.
Meloni is expected to attend the summit.
The 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government will be held in Ankara on July 7-8, with 52 leaders from 32 allied countries and nine invited countries expected to attend.
Deepening ties
Bilateral trade between Türkiye and Italy reached $32.2 billion in 2024, prompting the two countries to set a new target of $40 billion at their Rome summit in April 2025. Italy remained one of Türkiye’s leading export markets, with Turkish exports to the country rising to a record $12.4 billion in 2025.
Defence ties have also deepened, with Baykar and Italy’s Leonardo establishing a joint venture for unmanned technologies in 2025, while Baykar completed its acquisition of Italian aerospace firm Piaggio Aerospace in June that year.
Italy remains a key energy partner through the Southern Gas Corridor, whose Trans Adriatic Pipeline has carried Caspian gas to southern Italy since 2020.
Some 50,000 Turkish citizens live in Italy, while around 740,000 Italian tourists visited Türkiye in 2025.
