Erdogan, Meloni ink deals with focus on drones, Italy-Turkey defense ties
The Turkish president’s visit to Rome has strengthened Turkey-Italy ties through cooperation deals, including in the defense sector.
ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Italy on Tuesday deepened bilateral ties with the signing of a raft of cooperation agreements, including a defense deal between Turkey’s Baykar and Italian giant Leonardo.
Erdogan met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome as part of the fourth intergovernmental summit between the two countries. Erdogan also held talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella during his day-long visit.
The Turkish president was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his son-in-law, Selcuk Bayraktar — whose family owns Turkish drone giant Baykar — alongside other ministers and business leaders.
Ahead of a joint press conference, officials from the two countries’ delegations exchanged the texts of 10 memoranda of understanding in several fields, including technological innovation, culture and defense, signed during roughly two hours of meetings.
