Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Italy on an official tour on September 11-12, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday.
During his stay, Fidan is scheduled to meet Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani. The two ministers last met in Antalya on the margins of the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Informal Meeting held on May 14-15.
The visit follows a series of high-level exchanges between the two countries. On April 29, Rome hosted the fourth Türkiye-Italy Intergovernmental Summit, jointly chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. More recently, on August 1, Istanbul was the venue for the Türkiye-Italy-Libya Trilateral Leaders’ Summit, under President Erdogan’s chairmanship.
In addition to official talks, Fidan is expected to deliver a policy speech at the Istituto Affari Internazionali, one of Italy’s leading think tanks.
According to the ministry statement, discussions with Tajani will touch upon the strategic partnership and NATO alliance between Türkiye and Italy, the importance of reciprocal high-level visits, and the target of reaching $40 billion in bilateral trade.
Ankara will also underline the significance of updating the Türkiye-EU Customs Union and highlight opportunities for joint work in energy security, connectivity, and the defence industry.
The agenda further includes cooperation on irregular migration, scientific and technological innovation, NATO-related issues, and Türkiye-EU relations. Both sides are also expected to exchange views on Libya, Palestine’s Gaza, Syria, Ukraine, Iran, and Africa.
Growing Partnership
Bilateral trade reached $32.2 billion in 2024, making Italy Türkiye’s fifth-largest export market worldwide and the second-largest within the European Union. At the latest intergovernmental summit in Rome, leaders set a new trade target of $40 billion.
Defence and energy are key pillars of cooperation. In March, Turkish defence company Baykar signed a partnership agreement with Italian aerospace giant Leonardo on unmanned aerial systems. In June, Baykar finalised the acquisition of Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace. Discussions are also ongoing regarding Türkiye’s potential procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
On the energy front, Türkiye and Italy both play central roles in the Southern Gas Corridor. Since late 2020, natural gas transported through the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) has been delivered to Italy via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
Beyond politics and trade, the Turkish community of around 50,000 in Italy continues to contribute to the country’s social and cultural life. Tourism also remains a strong link, with more than 719,000 Italians visiting Türkiye in 2024.
