Rome: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to embark on an official tour to Italy on September 11-12, as announced by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. During his visit, Fidan is scheduled to engage in high-level discussions with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani. This visit follows their last meeting in Antalya during the NATO Foreign Ministers Informal Meeting held on May 14-15.
According to TRTworld.com, this visit is part of a series of high-level exchanges between Turkey and Italy. On April 29, Rome hosted the fourth Türkiye-Italy Intergovernmental Summit, co-chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Recently, Istanbul was the venue for the Türkiye-Italy-Libya Trilateral Leaders Summit, chaired by President Erdogan.
The agenda for Fidan's visit includes discussions on irregular migration, scientific and technological innovation, NATO-related issues, and Türkiye-EU rela tions. Both nations are also expected to exchange views on regional issues including Libya, Palestine's Gaza, Syria, Ukraine, Iran, and Africa.
Bilateral trade between Turkey and Italy reached $32.2 billion in 2024, positioning Italy as Turkey's fifth-largest export market worldwide and the second-largest within the European Union. At the recent intergovernmental summit in Rome, leaders set a new trade target of $40 billion.
Defense and energy stand as key pillars of cooperation between the two nations. Turkish defense company Baykar signed a partnership agreement with Italian aerospace company Leonardo on unmanned aerial systems in March. Additionally, Baykar finalized the acquisition of Italy's Piaggio Aerospace in June. Discussions are ongoing regarding Turkey's potential procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
In the energy sector, both Turkey and Italy play significant 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 political and trade ties, the Turkish community of approximately 50,000 in Italy continues to contribute to the country's social and cultural landscape. Tourism remains a strong connection, with over 719,000 Italians visiting Turkey in 2024.
