President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with President Giorgia Meloni of the Council of Ministers of Italy on the sidelines of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
The meeting addressed Türkiye–Italy bilateral relations, as well as regional and global developments.
President Erdoğan stated that it is important to further develop cooperation between Türkiye and Italy in many areas, particularly the defence industry, investment, energy, and trade.
President Erdoğan noted that, in its relations with the European Union, Türkiye now wishes to move beyond discussing obstacles and focus instead on removing the final impediments to its EU membership.
President Erdoğan stated that NATO’s European pillar should be strengthened, and emphasised that Türkiye would support the European Union’s efforts in this regard, provided that these efforts are grounded in the NATO framework.
President Erdoğan also underlined the importance of the Quadrilateral Cooperation Process on Libya, launched jointly by Türkiye, Italy, Qatar and Libya, and stated that efforts within this process would continue.
President Erdoğan invited Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the COP31 Leaders’ Summit, which will be held in Antalya in November.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy made a press statement following the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, held in Ankara.
Prime Minister Meloni said, “NATO is an Alliance that is aware of the challenges it faces, united, and determined to strengthen itself.”
Noting that Italy was allocating 2.8 per cent of its gross domestic product to defence and security and that spending in this area was increasing, Prime Minister Meloni said, “We want to honour our commitments on defence spending, and we are doing so and will continue to do so. However, we will achieve this in a sustainable manner by determining the timing, methods, and priorities ourselves in line with our own circumstances.”
Emphasising that this was necessary at such a time, Prime Minister Meloni said, “The time has come for Europe to provide for its own security. This is not about doing anyone a favour, but about not being dependent on anyone. Therefore, it is a matter of sovereignty.”
Prime Minister Meloni also stated that Italy had not, at this stage, received any official notification regarding the withdrawal of US troops from Europe.
Touching on support for Ukraine, which was among the items on the Summit agenda, Prime Minister Meloni said that Italy intended to continue providing military assistance and noted that Defence Minister Guido Crosetto had made an assessment to that effect.
“I do not believe the military option has produced tangible results (in Iran) so far”
Referring to the crisis in Iran, Prime Minister Meloni said that negative developments had emerged in recent hours. Nevertheless, she reiterated that, as previously stated, Italy stood ready to fulfil its responsibilities by taking the necessary parliamentary steps regarding the security of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Responding to a question about renewed tensions between the United States and Iran, Prime Minister Meloni said, “I am deeply concerned about what is happening in Iran, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it may spread to other parts of this sensitive region.”
Underlining that they were working to prevent such an outcome, Prime Minister Meloni said, “I have not lost hope for the possibility of negotiations with Iran. I do not believe the military option has produced tangible results so far. I believe negotiations must continue, and Italy will, of course, continue its efforts in that direction.”
Tensions with Trump
Asked about the latest social media post by US President Donald Trump regarding her, in which he wrote, “I need a restraining order against her,” ahead of the Ankara Summit, following tensions that had escalated during the conflict launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on 28 February and further intensified after Trump’s remark during last month’s G7 Summit in France that she had “begged for a photo,” Prime Minister Meloni replied, “I have already said that I will not return to that issue.”
When asked whether she regretted the “political investment” she had made in her relationship with President Trump, Prime Minister Meloni said, “I regret nothing that I have done. I made that political investment because of my belief in Western unity. This is not a strategy I adopted after President Trump took office; it is the approach I take towards all my counterparts. President Trump and I share common ground on issues such as migration and woke culture. Events are unfolding as they are, but I am not changing my position.”
Reminded that President Trump had frequently criticised her over Italy’s refusal to make its military bases available and asked whether there had been any change in her position, Prime Minister Meloni said:
“We do not make one decision one day and another the next. Since the beginning of the conflict in Iran, we have maintained a very clear position. Like a serious state, we honour our commitments. We said we would not take part in the attacks against Iran, and we did not.”
“We continue to work on our proposal for a post-UNIFIL coalition”
Prime Minister Meloni said that the next round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon being held in Rome the following week demonstrated the confidence placed in Italy.
Touching upon the fact that the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) would expire in 2026, Prime Minister Meloni said, “We continue to work on our proposal for a post-UNIFIL coalition. We are working with the French at the technical level. I also discussed this with President Erdoğan. There is considerable interest, and we will present this proposal before UNIFIL’s mandate expires.”
Prime Minister Meloni thanked President Erdoğan for hosting the Summit, saying, “Thanks to the excellent hospitality and outstanding organisation, we had the opportunity to discuss many issues concerning our bilateral cooperation, ranging from defence to combating irregular migration. I also had the opportunity to thank him personally and extend my congratulations.”
