FM Fidan to visit Italy, discuss strategic partnership

Rome: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Italy on Sept. 11-12 to discuss bilateral ties encompassing all aspects, ministry sources said Wednesday.

He will meet his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani and will hold a speech at the Italian think-tank Istituto Affari Internazionali.

It is expected that Fidan, during his visit, will underline the importance of relations between NATO allies Türkiye and Italy as well as the benefit of frequent mutual high-level visits. The foreign minister is further expected to highlight that the current customs union between Ankara and Brussels needs to be updated to reach the targeted $40 billion trade volume with Italy.

Another issue that Fidan will touch upon is potential cooperation in the fields of energy security, connectivity and the fight against irregular migration in the Mediterranean.

Fidan is expected to emphasize the importance of continuing to strengthen defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and Italy and to work together on science, technology and innovation amid current regional and global developments. He is also anticipated to address specific issues on the Türkiye-EU relations and NATO cooperation agenda, as well as participate in a broad exchange of views on maintaining peace and stability in Libya.

On the other hand, Gaza will also be on the agenda of the ministers as Fidan will state the need to increase pressure on Israel to end its attacks on Palestinians. Meanwhile, regional and international developments, especially Syria, Ukraine, Iran and Africa will also be discussed.

Fidan and Tajani last met on May 14-15, on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Informal Meeting in Antalya.

On April 29, the 4th Türkiye-Italy Intergovernmental Summit was held in Rome, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

On Aug. 1, the Türkiye-Italy-Libya Tripartite Leaders’ Summit was held in Istanbul, hosted by Erdogan.

Türkiye and Italy share deep-rooted diplomatic ties dating back to 1856, with bilateral relations elevated to the level of a strategic partnership in 2007. Economic cooperation stands at the core of these ties: in 2024, trade volume reached $32.2 billion, making Italy Türkiye’s fifth-largest export market globally and the second-largest within the EU. At the 4th Türkiye –Italy Intergovernmental Summit held in Rome in April, both sides set an ambitious target of boosting bilateral trade to $40 billion.

Defense industry collaboration has become another key pillar of partnership. In March, Turkish drone producer Baykar signed an agreement with Italian defense giant Leonardo on unmanned aerial systems. This was followed in June by Baykar’s acquisition of Piaggio Aerospace, one of Italy’s leading aerospace firms. Meanwhile, Ankara continues talks with Rome regarding the potential procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon jets.

Energy also represents a vital field of cooperation. Both countries are central actors in the Southern Gas Corridor, which transports Caspian gas to Europe. Since the end of 2020, natural gas delivered through the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) has reached Italy via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), underscoring the countries’ shared role in European energy security.

Beyond trade and energy, people-to-people ties remain strong. Around 50,000 Turkish citizens live in Italy, contributing to the country’s economic, academic, cultural and artistic life. Tourism links are also significant, with more than 719,000 Italian tourists visiting Türkiye in 2024.