Giorgia Meloni receives support from Recep Tayyip Erdogan to limit migration flows from Libya and seeks to replicate joint efforts that have slowed migration on the Turkey-Italy route. This is the main message that emerged from the more than two-hour meeting in Istanbul, where the Prime Minister thanked the Turkish President for the mediation efforts between Ukraine and Russia, especially on the wheat agreement. The other major geopolitical crisis, that between Israel and Hamas, is given significantly less emphasis in the report from Italian sources, which says the war in Gaza is part of the discussion on important global issues, including in the light of the newly established G7 presidency was transferred to the shoulders of the government of Rome.
Video Meloni in Istanbul, the meeting with Erdogan
We can sense different sensibilities regarding this delicate dossier, which has been dealt with in any case and in which Meloni emphasizes the objectives of the two states. Italy is trying to remain balanced in the powder keg in the Middle East, while Erdogan has been intensifying his attacks on Israel for some time. And it is perhaps no coincidence that shortly after the meeting, Anadolu, the Turkish state agency, repeated the words expressed 24 hours earlier by Democratic Party Secretary Elly Schlein about the need to avoid arms sales to Israel.
But “the wars that are being waged on Europe’s borders worry us,” warned President Sergio Mattarella, who recalled that “Europe has inscribed the word peace in its identity” and called on “those in power to be responsible.” The tensions in the Red Sea are the latest geopolitical emergency that has also disruptively entered the agenda of the Italian executive and Meloni, who chose the delicate mission in Istanbul to begin a series of international engagements (the next one in Japan). beginning of February) in the year of the G7.
In the hours that Meloni lands at Ataturk Airport, local television channels focus on the first Turkish astronaut aboard the International Space Station, where Italian Walter Villadei is also part of the mission. Your visit begins at the Grand Bazaar, the largest and oldest market in Istanbul, a mandatory stop for tourists. Surrounded by escorts, the Prime Minister receives applause from shopkeepers and onlookers present, exchanging a few jokes with those who greet her in Italian, among those who offer her a Turkish coffee and a Kazandibi, a typical chicken-based dessert.
Video melons in Istanbul, visit the bazaar
Erdogan then received them at Vahdettin Palace, a presidential residence on the Asian side of the city that was hit by a strong storm. Between the interview and the official dinner (without the usual closing statements to the press), the common priorities of the two NATO allies with a view to the Mediterranean will be discussed in around two and a half hours. Starting from the instability of the southern bank of the basin. The aim is to strengthen migration cooperation, which, according to Italian sources, led to a 56% reduction in irregular migration flows along the Italy-Turkey corridor last year. Things will also become increasingly closer in relations with Libya (where Ankara has a stabilizing effect and, like Rome, has strong interests in the energy sector), where the respective foreign ministries want to conclude an agreement soon.
The security and development of the African continent were also discussed with a view to the next Italy-Africa summit in Rome, with which the Prime Minister wants to give impetus to the Mattei plan. It would not have gone beyond an “exchange of ideas” on relations between the European Union and Turkey, while the accession process, about which Meloni expressed doubts during his time in opposition, has stalled. Bilateral relations are also on the table. Commercial trade, Italian sources explain, has exceeded 25 billion euros and is approaching the common target of at least 30 billion in 2030. The economic opportunities for Italian companies were also examined, especially in the defense sector and therefore for Leonardo. Astore drones could be equipped with light rockets or guided missiles such as the Cirit system from the Turkish company Roketsan.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA